US State Department reaffirms refusal to communicate with Syrian regime
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The US State Department has reiterated its refusal to communicate with the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, citing the absence of permanent political change and the lack of implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2254.
At the Moscow quartet meeting, which brought together the Turkish, Syrian, Russian, and Iranian defense ministers, the US position on normalization with the Syrian regime was questioned.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf made it clear during a meeting with a delegation from the Syrian opposition in Washington, D.C., that, “The US policy towards Syria has not changed.”
The Office of Near Eastern Affairs at the US State Department also took to Twitter to declare that there is no normalization with the Assad regime. The delegation from the Syrian opposition included head of the National Coalition Salem al-Muslat, representative of the Kurdish National Council in the negotiation body Ibrahim Berro, and representative of the independents Fadwa al-Ajili.
A/S Leaf met w/ the Syrian Negotiations Commission @SyrianHNC_en reiterating that U.S. Syria policy has not changed: no normalization with the Assad regime in the absence of enduring political change and strong support for UNSCR 2254 including the role of the Syrian opposition. pic.twitter.com/9wBwCvMLnC
— U.S. State Dept – Near Eastern Affairs (@StateDept_NEA) April 26, 2023
They emphasized the need for a political solution, warning that the failure to achieve the transitional phase will only worsen the Syrian crisis.
Meanwhile, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has put forward an initiative it called a “peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis, according to UN resolutions after the failure of all international initiatives.”