LONDON: Britain has had diplomatic contact with the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) group that swept Syrian President Bashar Assad from power last week, British foreign minister David Lammy said on Sunday.
“HTS remains a proscribed organization, but we can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact as you would expect,” Lammy told broadcasters.
“Using all the channels that we have available, and those are diplomatic and, of course, intelligence-led channels, we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.”
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has had direct contact with HTS.
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Britain has had ‘diplomatic contact’ with Syria’s HTS group
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Britain has had ‘diplomatic contact’ with Syria’s HTS group
- “HTS remains a proscribed organization, but we can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact as you would expect,” Lammy said
Denmark hails ‘very constructive’ meeting with US over Greenland
BRUSSELS: Denmark’s foreign minister said Thursday he was “more optimistic” after technical talks kicked off with the United States over Greenland.
“We have had the very first meeting at senior official level in Washington yesterday regarding the Greenlandic issue,” Lars Lokke Rasmussen told journalists at an EU meeting in Brussels.
“It went well in a very constructive atmosphere and tone, and new meetings are planned. It’s not that things are solved, but it’s good.”
The trilateral talks come after US President Donald Trump last week backed down from his threats to seize the autonomous Arctic territory of EU and NATO member Denmark.
“There was a major detour. Things were escalating, but now we are back on track,” Rasmussen said. “I’m slightly more optimistic today than a week ago.”
Trump’s threats over Greenland plunged the transtatlantic alliance into its deepest crisis in years.
The unpredictable US leader backed off his desire to take control of Greenland after saying he had struck a “framework” deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater American influence.
But few concrete details appear to have been agreed — with authorities in Denmark and Greenland refusing to discuss handing over any sovereignty.
“I have stated on many occasions, we, of course, share the US security concerns regarding the Arctic, this is something we want to solve in close cooperation,” Rasmussen said.
As part of the compromise with Washington NATO is expected to bolster its activities in the Arctic, while Denmark and Greenland could renegotiate a 1951 treaty on US troop deployments.
“We have had the very first meeting at senior official level in Washington yesterday regarding the Greenlandic issue,” Lars Lokke Rasmussen told journalists at an EU meeting in Brussels.
“It went well in a very constructive atmosphere and tone, and new meetings are planned. It’s not that things are solved, but it’s good.”
The trilateral talks come after US President Donald Trump last week backed down from his threats to seize the autonomous Arctic territory of EU and NATO member Denmark.
“There was a major detour. Things were escalating, but now we are back on track,” Rasmussen said. “I’m slightly more optimistic today than a week ago.”
Trump’s threats over Greenland plunged the transtatlantic alliance into its deepest crisis in years.
The unpredictable US leader backed off his desire to take control of Greenland after saying he had struck a “framework” deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater American influence.
But few concrete details appear to have been agreed — with authorities in Denmark and Greenland refusing to discuss handing over any sovereignty.
“I have stated on many occasions, we, of course, share the US security concerns regarding the Arctic, this is something we want to solve in close cooperation,” Rasmussen said.
As part of the compromise with Washington NATO is expected to bolster its activities in the Arctic, while Denmark and Greenland could renegotiate a 1951 treaty on US troop deployments.
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