US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left for Jordan on Wednesday and will then travel to Turkey in an effort to unite the countries of the region around a common vision for Syria's future after the ouster of authoritarian ruler Bashar al-Assad. .
Blinken is scheduled to travel to Aqaba, Jordan, and Ankara, Turkey, where he will meet with leaders of key Arab and Muslim countries to discuss developments in Syria, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and beyond in the region, according to the US State Department.
A spokesman said Mr Blinken aims to secure regional leaders' consensus on key principles for Syria's post-Assad transition. He said they include fully respecting the rights of minorities, facilitating humanitarian aid, taking measures to ensure that Syria does not become a haven for terrorism or a threat to its neighbors and securing and safely destroying stockpiles of chemical weapons or biological. Mr. Blinken has said that the United States will recognize a Syrian government that upholds those principles.
Speaking before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Blinken said he believes the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump will have an interest in maintaining what has been achieved toward eliminating the "territorial caliphate" that the terrorist group known as the Islamic State had established in Syria. Mr. Trump and his team have said that the US should not get involved in Syria.
"This is not our war. Let's see what will happen", said Trump on December 7 on his Truth Social platform.
During a hearing Wednesday that lasted more than four hours, Blinken told lawmakers:
"If Syria goes the other way — if it disintegrates — we're likely to see more mass migrations. We're likely to see more areas in Syria become centers of terrorism and extremism, neither of which is in our interest."
In Aqaba, Secretary of State Blinken will meet with King Abdulla II of Jordan and senior officials to discuss bilateral issues, highlight the US-Jordan strategic partnership and reaffirm US support for regional stability.
In Ankara, Blinken will engage with senior Turkish officials to strengthen bilateral cooperation on shared priorities, including counterterrorism and regional stability with NATO ally Turkey.
Some analysts argue that there is a strategic reason, at least for now, to maintain the current US presence of around 900 US troops in Syria to control ISIS and prevent a resurgence of terrorist groups in the region.
"But greater involvement is probably against American interests. And of course, we haven't actually been very involved in Syria since the start of the civil war, more than a decade ago," Thomas Graham, a former US diplomat and now a member of the Council on Relations with the US, told VOA. Out.
On Tuesday, Mr Blinken held talks with his counterparts from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt, where he reiterated the need for a Syrian-led transition.
Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani said on Wednesday that he would disband the security forces of the ousted Assad regime. He also said his group was working with international organizations to identify and secure potential locations where chemical weapons could be stored.
The United States reacted cautiously to Golan's comments. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters: "We welcome this kind of attitude, but ... actions must match words."
Meanwhile, United States President Joe Biden will attend a virtual G7 meeting on Friday to discuss Syria and other pressing issues in the Middle East.
Last Sunday, Syrian rebel groups toppled the Assad regime after a surprise offensive that lasted less than two weeks, ending decades of brutal repression. While many Syrians are welcoming Assad's departure, there is also uncertainty over the country's future.
The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the dominant faction among the opposition forces, is rapidly consolidating power. Meanwhile, foreign actors are vying for influence with the fledgling government or trying to limit its potential as a security threat.
Gerald Feierstein, director of the Program on Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the Middle East Institute, told VOA that "Turks have a much more positive view of political Islam and have long ties to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Golan - not close , but they are related. The Gulf countries will see with more concern which direction Damascus will go."
Feierstein noted that while there is not currently "a big gap" between Turkey and the outlook of the Gulf countries, this difference could deepen over time if the new government in Damascus pursues a harder-than-expected Islamist stance.
Syria's nearly 14-year civil war has killed 500,000 people and displaced half of its pre-war population of 23 million. Millions of Syrians went to neighboring countries such as Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon, with many continuing their journey to Europe in search of safety. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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