Blinken: US won’t support normalization with Syrian leader

By Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters

WASHINGTON – The United States does not mean to enactment immoderate efforts to normalize ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad oregon rehabilitate him until determination is irreversible advancement towards a governmental solution successful Syria, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said connected Wednesday.

Blinken’s comments astatine a quality league travel astatine a clip erstwhile a displacement is underway successful the Middle East among the Arab allies of the United States, who are bringing Assad successful from the acold by reviving economical and diplomatic ties.

Jordan, a staunch U.S. ally, afloat reopened its main borderline crossing with Syria successful precocious September, to boost the countries’ struggling economies and reenforce a propulsion by Arab states to reintegrate Syria aft shunning it implicit its civilian war.

Jordan’s King Abdullah besides spoke to Assad for the archetypal clip successful a decennary this period portion the Egyptian and Syrian overseas ministers met past period connected the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly successful New York, successful what Egyptian media said was the archetypal gathering astatine that level for astir a decade.

“What we person not done and what we bash not mean to bash is to explicit immoderate enactment for efforts to normalize relations oregon rehabilitate Mr Assad oregon lifted a azygous authorisation connected Syria oregon changed our presumption to reason the reconstruction of Syria, until determination is irreversible advancement toward a governmental solution, which we judge is indispensable and vital,” Blinken said.

The United States has suspended its diplomatic beingness successful Syria since 2012.

Blinken said successful the 9 months since President Joe Biden took bureau connected Jan. 20, Washington has focused connected expanding humanitarian entree to Syria, sustaining the run against Islamic State and making wide the U.S. committedness to request accountability from Assad’s government.

But Syria has not been a overseas argumentation precedence for the Biden administration, analysts note, arsenic Washington mostly concentrated connected countering China. The medication has yet to use sanctions nether the alleged Caesar Act, which came into unit past twelvemonth with the purpose of expanding unit connected Assad.

“As we’re moving guardant successful the clip ahead, keeping unit down, expanding humanitarian assistance, and focusing our subject efforts connected immoderate violent groups that airs a menace to america oregon to our partners…These are going to beryllium captious areas of absorption for us,” Blinken said.