Britain has reached out to the Syrian rebels who brought down Bashir-al Assad’s regime, David Lammy confirmed last night.
The Foreign Secretary said the UK has had ‘diplomatic contact’ with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which spearheaded the overthrowing of the Syrian president this month.
It comes following days of confusion about whether Britain can and should have meaningful contact with HTS while it remains a banned terrorist group.
But speaking to Sky News last night, Mr Lammy said: ‘HTS remains a proscribed organisation, but we can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact as you would expect.’
Regarding what should replace the Assad regime, he added: ‘We want to see a representative, an inclusive [new] government.
‘We want to see chemical weapons stockpiles secured and not used and we want to ensure that there is not continuing violence.
‘And so for all of those reasons, using all the channels that we have available…we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.’
Asked whether the UK could soon remove them from the banned terror list, he said: ‘This was an organisation that came out of Al-Qaeda.
Syrians buy bread in the town of Douma on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on December 15, 2024
An aerial picture shows protesters dragging a toppled statue of late president Hafez al-Assad on the street during a student rally near the campus of the Damascus University in the Syrian capital on December 15, 2024
£30 million will be channelled within Syria for food, shelter and emergency healthcare, while £10 million will go to the World Food Programme (WFP) in Lebanon and £10 million to WFP and the UN’s refugee agency
Since then, Western governments have debated how to deal with HTS, which is a proscribed organisation in the UK because of its closeness to al Qaida.
Its current leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who had used the alias Mohammed al-Golani before taking power, has attempted to distance his movement from the terrorist group.
There is also concern that a power vacuum in Syria could exacerbate regional tensions and create conditions for the so-called Islamic State group to regain ground.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: ‘The fall of the horrific Assad regime provides a once-in-a-generation chance for the people of Syria.
‘We’re committed to supporting the Syrian people as they chart a new course, first by providing £50 million in new food, healthcare and aid to support the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Syrians. Second, by working diplomatically to help secure better governance in Syria’s future.
‘This weekend the UK and its partners came together to agree the principles required to support a Syrian-led transitional political process. It is vital that the future Syrian government brings together all groups to establish the stability and respect the Syrian people deserve.’
Sir Keir Starmer on Friday told a virtual meeting of the G7 leaders that ‘the fall of (Bashar) Assad’s brutal regime should be welcomed but we must be cautious about what comes next’.
In a statement on Thursday, the leaders said they were committed to ‘work with and fully support’ a future Syrian government that agreed to ensure ‘respect for the rule of law, universal human rights, including women’s rights, the protection of all Syrians, including religious and ethnic minorities, transparency and accountability’.
‘Al-Qaeda is responsible for a tremendous loss of life on British soil. We will judge them by their actions. I won’t comment on future proscription but of course we recognise that this is an important moment for Syria.
Syrian Air Force helicopter munitions (these boxes labelled warhead) and Russian-made rockets stored at the Mezzeh Military Airport near the capital remain untouched by more than 500 Israeli strikes against military targets across Syria since the fall of the Assad regime, on December 15, 2024 in Damascus, Syria
Discarded old Syrian Air Force planes are left beside the tarmac at the Mezzeh Military Airport, as Israel mounts more than 500 Israeli strikes against military targets across Syria since the fall of the Assad regime, on December 15, 2024 in Damascus, Syria
A view of Port of Latakia as removal of wreckage of Syrian navy vessels destroyed by Israeli airstrikes completed and port is set to reopened to operate in Latakia, Syria on December 15, 2024
‘There’s huge hope on the streets of Syria…we are signing up to an inclusive opportunity that is Syrian-led and Syrian-owned.’
It comes after it emerged that the US also held direct talks with HTS.
Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, said at the weekend after the talks that Syria’s new government must reject terrorism and destroy the former dictator’s chemical weapons stockpiles.
It must also respect women and minority rights, he said, adding that his message to the Syrian people was that ‘we want them to succeed and we’re prepared to help them do so’.
The insurgent leaders of HTS, which was once an affiliate of Al Qaeda, say the group has broken with its extremist past.
It comes after the UK announced £50 million of humanitarian aid for vulnerable Syrians across the Middle East after the overthrow of Bashar Assad’s regime.
The emergency support will be delivered through the UN and NGO agencies to people in the country, as well as to refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, the Foreign Office said.
Britain on Saturday joined talks in Aqaba, hosted by Jordan and attended by ministers and delegates from the US, France, Germany, the Arab Contact Group, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the EU and UN.
They agreed on the importance of a ‘non-sectarian and representative government’, protecting human rights, unfettered access for humanitarian aid, the safe destruction of chemical weapons, and combatting terrorism.
‘The UK urges the transitional government to adhere to these principles to build a more hopeful, secure and peaceful Syria,’ the Foreign Office said on Sunday.
Some £120,000 of UK funding has also been made available to the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the department said.
Another £30 million will be channelled within Syria for food, shelter and emergency healthcare, while £10 million will go to the World Food Programme (WFP) in Lebanon and £10 million to WFP and the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR in Jordan.
The intervention comes a week after the collapse of the Assad regime following a lightning offensive by rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
