Diplomatic calling: Syria’s armed rebels adjust as dignitaries flock to assess them

The country's interim leader has been meeting in the Syrian capital with officials from the Middle East, US and EU

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With a green tie and a suit, Syria's interim leader Ahmad Al Shara is swiftly steering his military rebel force toward diplomacy to convince neighbouring countries, western nations, and the world that his group, previously affiliated with Al Qaeda, can be a friendly, progressive power.

In just two weeks, Mr Al Shara, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani, quickly shed his olive military jacket and transitioned into a politician to receive delegates in official settings and hold press conferences behind a presidential-style podium.

He met Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ayman Safadi, on Monday, marking the highest-ranking visit by an Arab official to the Syrian capital since Hayat Tahrir Al Sham took over. A Qatari delegation also visited Damascus, the first since 2011.

The day before, he received Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, following earlier visits from diplomats from the EU and the US, which announced the removal of a $10 million bounty on him.

On Monday evening, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, stressed the importance of preserving the unity, integrity and sovereignty of Syria in a phone conversation with Asaad Al Shibani. He added the UAE supports a comprehensive and inclusive transitional phase that "achieves the aspirations" of the Syrian people.

“It's too early to judge, but Syria and the world are eager to know: is this another extremist Islamist group? Will it establish an inclusive regime? It's hard to get close to the answer if you don't engage with them,” said a veteran Syrian politician.

Damascus fell to the rebels on December 8, ending Syria's long rule of the Assad family. HTS is made up mainly of groups from the extremist organisation Jabhat Al Nusra, which was linked to Al Qaeda. It broke those ties with Al Qaeda in 2016 and rebranded itself as Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, after a purge undertaken by the group's leader.

The UN and countries including the US and Russia have designated HTS a terrorist organisation. Mr Al Shara previously participated in an Iraqi insurgency against the US as a member of a group that eventually became ISIS. He then led the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda in 2011, in the early years of the civil war.

As the rebels took over Damascus, they quickly stated their intention to establish an “inclusive” administration, although questions about the participation of minorities and women remained vague.

“We are aiming for a new history to be written, and a new social contract based on qualifications and a progressive vision, away from sectarianism,” Syria's interim leader affirmed during his meetings on Sunday.

“What happened 1,400 years ago has nothing to do with us,” he added, referring to the ancient conflict in Islam that caused a rift between some Sunni and Shia communities.

Political discomfort

Hundreds of thousands of people have died in Syria's war, which began in 2011 and saw president Bashar Al Assad's army pitted against various rebel groups. Millions of residents fled, but since the rebels took over, thousands have rushed back, filled with hope for a peaceful homecoming to a country that remains under US and EU sanctions, amid a dire humanitarian crisis.

In the presidential palace on Sunday, Mr Fidan said sanctions on Syria must “be lifted as soon as possible”. He called for the international community to “mobilise to help Syria get back on its feet and for the displaced people to return”.

The landmark visit by the Turkish Foreign Minister and his warm welcome by the HTS leader suggested that Ankara is trying to be the first to exert influence in the neighbouring country, particularly at a time when it is fighting militants in the north. He said that there was no room for Kurdish militants in Syria's future, calling for their militias to disband.

His visit followed the steps of US diplomats who met the HTS leader on Friday and announced removing the $10 million bounty offered for the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham leader. The talks represented “a good first meeting”, said Barbara Leaf, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, adding that Washington “will judge by deeds, not just by words”.

On the eve of the visit, Washington said that approximately 2,000 US troops had been posted to Syria, which is about 1,100 more than had been reported in the past.

“The group remains a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation under US law, which creates some political discomfort but does not preclude US officials from working with the new caretaker government,” The Washington Institute for Near East Policy wrote.

The main goals of the visit are to “gather more details” on the whereabouts of Americans kidnapped in Syria, clarify the future of the US military presence in the country and its main-backed Kurdish group, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and communicate the benchmarks Washington will use when “grading” HTS in the coming weeks, according to the think tank.

The EU has also made it clear that it wants to engage with the new administration in Syria, primarily discussing the future of hundreds of thousands of refugees in Europe, the potential return to their country, and efforts to stop illegal migration to their shores.

Damascus saw on Sunday the visit of Robert Petit, the head of the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism set up by the UN in 2016 to prepare prosecutions for major international crimes in Syria. Mr Petit said it was possible to find “more than enough” evidence to convict people of crimes against international law, but there was an immediate need to secure and preserve it.

“They are posing for the media, but this is just make-up. It's a movement that emerged from the womb of Al Qaeda, so it's very hard to see them changing course,” said the Syrian politician.

However, Mr Al Shara insisted on a new beginning for his group.

“Syria won't turn into Afghanistan,” he said in a recent interview.