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Turkey’s high diplomat Hakan Fidan turned the primary overseas minister to journey to Syria to meet Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) chief Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, who additionally goes by his start title Ahmed al-Sharaa. HTS led the offensive that just lately overthrew former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
“The Syrian administration informed us it’s ready to take the mandatory initiative to take over these prisoners,” Fidan mentioned on Sunday.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which helped defeat Isis with US air assist, guards about 10,000 captured fighters in addition to hundreds of their relations at camps in japanese Syria. Washington has warned that Isis might strive to exploit Syria’s present instability and retains about 2,000 US particular forces within the space.
The Turkish government has referred to as for the Folks’s Defence Models (YPG), a Kurdish militia that dominates the SDF, to disband because it deems their self-administration alongside Turkey’s southern border to be a nationwide safety risk.
Turkey additionally accuses the YPG of being an offshoot of the Kurdistan Staff celebration (PKK), which took up arms in opposition to the Turkish state in 1984, ensuing within the demise of 40,000 folks.
Fidan mentioned on Sunday that western nations had allowed the YPG to “illegally” occupy nearly a 3rd of Syrian territory in alternate for retaining Isis detainees locked up in Syria, however mentioned he believed US president-elect Donald Trump would quickly change course.
“Whenever you take a look at this from the angle of US pursuits, whenever you do the maths, is Turkey essential or is a terrorist group just like the PKK essential? Mr Trump sees the maths instantly,” he mentioned.
Turkey was keen to “present the strongest assist” in combating Isis, Fidan added.
HTS chief Jolani mentioned bringing Syria’s numerous armed teams below management was a high precedence and that his administration would announce the new construction of the defence ministry and army inside days. “We is not going to enable any weapons to be exterior the state, whether or not from the revolutionary factions or from the factions current within the SDF area,” he mentioned.
Turkey, essentially the most outspoken backer of Syria’s rebels of their 13-year battle in opposition to Assad, has pledged to assist rebuild its neighbour and referred to as on the worldwide group to have interaction with Syria’s new leaders. Fidan mentioned he hoped his go to would encourage different governments to ship high-level officers.
“We imagine the new administration in Damascus will take applicable steps to guarantee Syria’s territorial integrity and political sovereignty. In my assembly with [Jolani], I heard the framework for that imaginative and prescient,” mentioned Fidan.
Lebanese Druze chief Walid Jumblatt additionally met Jolani on Sunday, with each males calling for a reset in relations between the 2 nations, which have been marked by tensions for many years.
Jumblatt, who holds the earlier regime liable for the 1977 assassination of his politician father, had beforehand declared that he would solely return to Damascus after the autumn of the Assad government.
Jolani referred to as for a break from that troubled previous, saying the previous Syrian government “was a supply of concern and disturbance”.
“The approaching Syria on this new period will stand on the identical distance from everybody in Lebanon and there is not going to be any case of adverse interference,” he added.
