The UK has confirmed it has made “diplomatic contact” with the rebel group that controls Syria after its recent takeover of major cities, including the capital Damascus.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – which took control of the country following a lightning offensive last week that overthrew its president Bashar al-Assad – remains proscribed in Britain but “as you would expect” the Government has spoken to the organisation.
Lammy also announced that Britain would be sending £50m in humanitarian aid to support vulnerable Syrian citizens across the Middle East.
It comes as the Foreign Office announced emergency support will be delivered to people in Syria through the UN and NGOs, and to Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan.
Speaking on Sunday, Lammy said: “We want to see a representative government, an inclusive government. We want to see chemical weapons stockpiles secured, and not used, and we want to ensure that there is not continuing violence.
“For all of those reasons, using all the channels that we have available – and those are diplomatic and of course intelligence-led channels – we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.”
He added: “Yes, HTS remains a proscribed organisation but we can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact as you would expect.”
The announcement comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed Washington officials had been in direct contact with the group, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the State Department since 2018.
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 combating 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 £30m will be channelled within Syria for food, shelter and emergency healthcare, while £10m will go to the World Food Programme (WFP) in Lebanon and £10m to WFP and the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, in Jordan.
The rebel group’s current leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has attempted to distance his movement from its terrorist past.
Since the rebels seized control of Syria, Western governments have debated how to deal with HTS, which is a proscribed organisation in the UK because of its closeness to al-Qaeda.
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.
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 £50m 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 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”.
Additional reporting by Press Association
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