UK engages with HTS for inclusive Syrian government

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that the UK is conducting "diplomatic contacts" with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the armed factions' assault that ousted President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Lammy told British media that HTS "remains a banned terrorist organization in the United Kingdom," adding, "However, we can engage in diplomatic contacts, hence we are undertaking diplomatic efforts aimed particularly at ensuring the establishment of a representative government and securing chemical weapon stockpiles in Syria."

Lammy continued, "We want to ensure that violence does not continue."