'I think those have been constructive engagements. The focus here is a new Syria and a transition away from Assad,' official says
The US has been in "full spectrum engagement" with Türkiye, a senior Biden administration official said Sunday, amid the end of over 50 years of Assad family rule in Syria.
The official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, pointed to conversations held between senior US officials including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA Director Bill Burns and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their Turkish counterparts.
"I think those have been constructive engagements. The focus here is a new Syria and a transition away from Assad," the official said.
"That is going to take an enormous effort from everybody. We think that should be the focus of those with an interest in building a better and future Syria. So that is our primary focus. Therefore, additional conflicts, additional fronts opening up are not in anybody's interest," he added.
After a period of relative calm, clashes between Assad regime forces and anti-regime groups reignited on Nov. 27 in rural areas west of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.
Over 10 days, opposition forces launched a lightning offensive, capturing key cities and then, on Sunday, the capital, Damascus. The rapid advance, supported by defecting military units, led to the collapse of the Assad regime after 13 years of civil war.
Assad and his family had ruled Syria since 1971, and President Joe Biden said the US will now "engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward" an independent Syria "with a new constitution, a new government that serves all Syrians."
Asked about US contacts with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a US and UN-designated terrorist group that has led one of the most significant anti-regime offensives, the official, who spoke to reporters, said the group "obviously will be an important component” of the transition in Syria.
"I think we will intend to engage with them appropriately and with US interests in mind," he said, noting that the group's terrorist designation "is something that we'll have to look to down the line."
"I think what we'll be looking for, in particular, is some of the statements that have been made actually being put into action. I think that would be quite important," the official added.
