In first contacts, US officials urge Syrian rebels to support inclusive govt

• Hayat Tahrir al-Sham designated terrorist group by US since 2013.
• Some lawmakers urge US to lift sanctions if HTS meets demands.
• US in contact with actors on ground about battlefield operations.
  

The Biden administration has urged the rebel group that led the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to assume automatic leadership of the country but instead run an inclusive process to form a transitional government, according to two United States officials and a congressional aide briefed on Washington's first contacts with the group.

The communications with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group formerly allied with al Qaeda and designated a terrorist organisation by the US, are being conducted in coordination with Washington's Middle East allies, including Turkey.

The administration is also in touch with President-elect Donald Trump's team about the matter, one of the officials said.

The discussions, which have taken place over the last several days, are part of a larger effort by Washington to coordinate with various groups inside Syria as it tries to navigate the chaotic aftermath of the sudden collapse of the Assad regime on Sunday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US has sent messages to the group to help guide early efforts to establish a formal governing structure for the country.

The sources declined to say whether the messages were being sent directly or via an intermediary.

Washington believes the transitional government should represent the desires of the Syrian people and would not support HTS taking control without a formal process to select new leaders, the officials said.

The US National Security Council declined to comment.

Terrorist designation

The United States in 2013 designated HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, a terrorist, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad's rule in Syria. 

It said the Nusra Front, the predecessor of HTS, carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and espoused a violent sectarian vision.

The official said the administration is not clear about Golani's role in a future Syrian government — or whether he still holds extremist ideologies.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out on Tuesday criteria for Syria's political transition, saying Washington would recognise a future Syrian government that amounts to a credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governing body.

Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pushing the administration to consider lifting US sanctions on Syria, including sanctions specifically related to HTS, in exchange for the group meeting certain US demands, the congressional aide told Reuters.

The aide said there is a growing feeling among some members of Congress that the US will need to help a transitional government in Syria connect to the global economy and rebuild the country. Sanctions are preventing that from happening, the aide said.

Washington is also in communication with HTS and other actors on the ground about battlefield operations, one of the officials said.

Senior US officials have repeatedly said they intend to continue military operations in northeastern Syria against Daesh, to ensure the radical extremist group does not become a threat again, given the current power vacuum in the country. US forces in Syria will also continue to prevent Iranian-backed proxy groups from gaining ground, one of the officials said.