World powers call for inclusive Syria govt

Top diplomats from the United States, Turkey, the European Union and Arab countries have agreed that a new government in Syria must respect the rights of minorities, US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken said Saturday in Jordan after talks and President said after direct contacts with the rebels who ousted Bashar al-Assad The meetings come as regional and global powers vie for influence over any government to replace Bashar al-Assad., who was forced to flee a week ago. Blanken told a news conference that the group had agreed on a joint declaration that also called for an inclusive and representative government that respects the rights of minorities and does not provide “a base for terrorist groups”. is The new transitional authority in Syria and the parties on those principles are critical to gaining much-needed support and recognition,” Blanken said. Blanken also said that U.S. officialsPAS now made “direct contact” with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and urged them and other rebel groups to help find American journalist Austin Tice, who was detained in Syria in 2012. To see the country transition, he added. Syria’s neighbor Jordan was hosting Saturday’s gathering in Aqaba. Russia and Iran, Assad’s main backers, were not invited. Blinken, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen and the European UnionThe head of foreign policy, Kaja Kals, Fidan and the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar met around a circular table in the Jordanian government. The guest house. There. There is no representative of Syria at the table. Arab diplomats met separately earlier and issued a statement calling for a peaceful and inclusive political transition leading to elections and a newArab diplomats involved in the negotiations for the constitution told Reuters that they wanted assurances from Turkey that it supported it as well as preventing its fragmentation. Syria on communal lines. Turkey and the United States, both NATO members, have conflicting interests when it comes to some of the rebels. Turkey-backed rebels have clashed with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria.