UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that while the Syrian rebels remain “a proscribed terrorist organization,” diplomatic contact is still possible.
LONDON:
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated on Sunday that Britain has established diplomatic contact with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group in Syria, which played a leading role in ousting Bashar al-Assad.
While HTS remains “a proscribed terrorist organisation,” Lammy emphasized, “we can have diplomatic contact, and so we do have diplomatic contact, as you would expect.”
He added, “We want to see a representative, inclusive government, the securing and non-use of chemical weapons, and an end to ongoing violence.”
Lammy explained, “For all these reasons, we use all available channels, including diplomatic and intelligence-led ones, to engage with HTS when necessary.”