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By America-Today  December,16 2024

The US has made "direct contact" with the HTS rebels who now control Syria after

toppling the Assad regime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

It is the first acknowledgement of direct US interaction with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,

which the US currently still designates as a terrorist organisation.

Blinken told reporters the US has been in contact in particular over the fate of the

                                                                  missing American journalist, Austin Tice.

countries, Turkey, and Europe to discuss the future of Syria.

Officials agreed to support a peaceful transition process in the country, with Jordan's

foreign minister saying that regional powers did not want to see it "descend intochaos".

A joint communique called for an inclusive Syrian government that respects the rights

of minorities and does not offer a base for "terrorist groups".

The talk both inside and outside Syria after the tumultuous events of recent weeks has

been of the vital importance of setting up new governance that represents all Syrians.

HTS was not present at the meeting in Jordan.

There, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein expressed concern over Syria's future

shared across the Middle East and beyond.

He said regional players did not want to see another Libya - referring to the chaos that

ensued after Colonel Gaddafi's removal from power.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said existing Syrian institutions must be

preserved and reformed.

"Never allow terrorism to take advantage of the transition period. And we have to

coordinate our efforts and learn from the mistakes of the past," Fidan said according to

Reuters news agency.