Senior international diplomats discuss the situation in Syria

2024-12-14 19:36:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Senior diplomats from the United States, the Arab League and Turkey are meeting in Jordan on Saturday to discuss how to help Syria transition after the fall of Bashar Assad's government a week ago.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, foreign ministers and senior officials from the European Union and the United Nations are trying to find a consensus on the priorities they think Syria's new leadership should have. No Syrian representative was expected to attend the meeting.

The fall of the Assad family's more than half-century rule has raised new concerns about potential instability in a region already rocked by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and hostilities between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, despite a fragile ceasefire.

The United States has renewed efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 2 million Palestinians are in a severe humanitarian crisis from the war.

Israel's war against Hamas has killed more than 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 militants. The October 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the war killed about 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages. About 100 hostages are still in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Turkey reopens embassy in Syria

Turkey reopened its embassy in Syria on Saturday, becoming the first country to do so since the end of Bashar Assad's rule last weekend. Syrian rebels who overthrew Assad received vital aid from Turkey. The Turkish flag was raised over the diplomatic compound in Damascus for the first time since relations were severed in 2012. The embassy suspended operations 12 years ago due to insecurity during the Syrian civil war. Some countries maintained diplomatic ties with Assad's government during the 13-year conflict, while others reopened their diplomatic missions in recent years as they sought to normalize relations.

Blinken ends the regional tour in Jordan

Mr Blinken says there is broad consensus among regional partners that Syria's new government must be inclusive, respect the rights of women and minorities, reject terrorism and take security measures and destroy suspected chemical weapons stockpiles. the Assad era.

Mr. Blinken is finishing a regional tour of the Middle East. Earlier on Saturday, in a meeting with the UN's special envoy for Syria, Geir Pederson, US Secretary of State Blinken said they would talk about the challenges facing Syria and "our determination to work together to support a Syrian-led transition, where the United Nations plays a critical role, especially when it comes to providing aid, protecting minorities."

Mr. Pederson agreed, saying, “It is critical that we see in Syria a credible and inclusive political process that unites all communities in Syria. And the second point is to make sure that state institutions do not fail, as well as to have humanitarian aid as soon as possible. And if we can achieve that, maybe there is a new opportunity for the Syrian people."

In announcing Saturday's meetings, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said the ministers would "discuss ways to support an inclusive Syrian-led political process to achieve a transitional process" that "ensures the reconstruction of Syrian state institutions and preserves the unity, territorial integrity of Syria as well as the sovereignty, security, stability and rights of all its citizens"./VOA