Blinken discusses Syria with counterparts from Jordan, UAE, Qatar, Egypt

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the situation in Syria with his counterparts from Jordan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Egypt, the State Department said Tuesday.

Blinken spoke with Ayman Safadi from Jordan, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani from Qatar and Badr Abdelatty of Jordan and he had a conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a news conference.

Miller said Blinken indicated in the discussions that the US fully supports a Syrian-led and owned political transition that leads to credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance.

"He has also outlined several principles that we believe should be upheld during the transition process and formation of a new government, respect for the rights of minorities, facilitation of humanitarian assistance, the prevention of Syria from being used as a base for terrorism or posing as a threat to its neighbors, securing and safely destroying any chemical weapons stockpiles," said Miller.

"The secretary has also reiterated in these calls that all nations should support an inclusive and transparent process and refrain from interference, and made clear that the United States will recognize and fully support a future Syrian government that results from this process," he added.

Miller later said the parties in the country has the responsibility to destroy the chemical weapons there.

"It is the responsibility of those who are taking the reins of power inside Syria, first and foremost, to secure and destroy any chemical weapons that they find in areas that they control," said Miller.

Miller said the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, a group involved in the Syrian conflict, is using the right words, but the US will judge it not by those words, but by their actions in the coming days.

"The secretary will continue his engagements with counterparts in the region over the coming days and discuss the principles he outlined his days further. And of course, he will continue to emphasize, in all of these conversations, the United States' ongoing support for the Syrian people throughout this transition," he added.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus early Sunday, ending the Baath Party rule, which had been in power since 1963.