Ahmed al-Sharaa, also more commonly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, met with Pedersen and “stressed the importance of rapid and effective cooperation to address issues of Syrians and the need to focus on the unity of Syria’s territories, reconstruction, and economic development,” Syria’s SANA news agency said in a statement.
He also discussed the need for a cautious approach to the new Syria to facilitate the right environment to build a “strong and effective system” and provide a safe return for refugees who fled during the onset of the Syrian civil war.
HTS, the successor of the Al-Nusra Front, has its roots in al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch. It has long controlled a rebel enclave in the northwestern province of Idlib and is a designated terrorist organization by the US and EU.
During the meeting with Pedersen, the rebel leader stressed “the need to review Resolution 2254” of the UN Security Council “due to the changes that occurred in the political scene.”
The UN Security Council resolution of 2015 called for a political settlement to the crisis in Syria and a permanent ceasefire to the civil war.
The 13-year uprising against Assad came to a quick end when a coalition of HTS-led rebels launched a blistering offensive against the Syrian army late last month, seizing the northern cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs. Their victory culminated with the capture of Damascus as Assad fled the country, ending over five decades of Baathist rule.
The HTS-led groups established a transitional government led by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir who has promised a future Syrian state that guarantees the rights of all its citizens.
