The most powerful rebel group, HTS, has indicated that it is committed to an inclusive government. But the group’s violent jihadist past has left some doubting whether it will follow through on those promises.
Blinken said Washington had been in direct contact with HTS – particularly regarding the fate of long-missing American journalist Austin Tice.
“We have been in contact with HTS and other parties,” Blinken told reporters in Jordan.
No Syrian representative was present at the talks in Jordan. The foreign ministers of eight Arab countries, who attended the meeting, said they wanted to guarantee the unity of Syria, not a split along sectarian lines.
Two countries that provided Assad with financial support, which allowed him to stay in power for so long, were also absent: Iran and Russia.
The shadow of all the external forces that have fought for Syria for so long hangs heavily over the country’s future.
The new political formations in Syria will need cohesion not only within the country, but also beyond it, if the Syrian people have any real hope of building on the heady taste of freedom they experienced last week.
