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US envoys to the Middle East for Syria and Gaza

2024-12-13 16:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Top advisers to US President Joe Biden are in the Middle East this week to try to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and manage the fallout from the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Their visits come at a time when Syria's neighboring states, including US allies Israel and Turkey, are conducting military exercises.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that there is "general agreement" between Turkey and the United States on their vision for Syria after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.

He made the comments after meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

"There is general agreement on what we would like to see in the future, starting with the interim government in Syria, an inclusive and non-sectarian government that protects the rights of minorities and women, that maintains state institutions and provides services to citizens that will manage the chemical weapons it finds, secure them and destroy them properly. A government that refuses alliance with extremist groups and, as such, that does not threaten the neighboring countries of Syria", declared Secretary Blinken.

Israeli troops have advanced deep into the neutral zone, which separates the Golan Heights, Syrian territory occupied by Israel and patrolled by United Nations forces. Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes across Syria in recent days.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met on Thursday in Israel with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Israel was faced with an immediate threat, the collapse of a structure that had existed for a long time, and the possibility that this gap would be replaced by a threat directly adjacent to its border. It therefore took action to counter this threat. From the point of view of the United States, this action is a logical action and in line with Israel's right to self-defense," said adviser Sullivan.

The rebel groups that ousted Assad in Syria have yet to make their stance on Israel clear.

The United Nations says Israel's actions violate its 1974 Agreement with Syria, signed after the Middle East war.

"There is absolutely no basis under international law to allow Israel to strike Syria preemptively," says UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul.

Meanwhile, Syrian Kurds near the northern border with Turkey have been displaced after fighting between US-backed Kurdish forces and Ankara-backed Syrian rebels. The United States brokered a ceasefire agreement between the groups on Wednesday.

Secretary Blinken also emphasized that it is important to continue efforts to keep the terrorist group, the Islamic State, under control.

Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan said that he and Secretary Blinken had discussed ways to defeat terrorism in this country.

"Our priority is to establish stability in Syria as soon as possible, to prevent the spread of terrorism and to make sure that the Islamic State and the Kurdistan Workers' Party do not dominate," declared Minister Fidan.

In addition to the situation in Syria, Secretary Blinken and Advisor Sullivan are making a last-ditch diplomatic effort to reach an agreement that would end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, while also allowing the release of hostages being held by the militant group. that the United States has declared a terrorist organization.

The United States believes that Hamas is still holding three American citizens, who are believed to be alive, as well as the bodies of four others./ VOA