Facing terror designations and sanctions, Syria’s new rulers push for international legitimacy

CNN — Syria’s new regime, led by a group with former ties to al Qaeda, is on a mission to gain international legitimacy – and it’s already seeing some success. On Sunday, he secured a meeting in Damascus with Geir Otto Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, who said the international community will “hopefully see a quick end to sanctions, so that we can see really a rallying around building up Syria again.” The envoy however warned that there must be “justice and accountability for crimes,” but that they must go through “a credible justice system.” And on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she “tasked a European top diplomat in Syria to go to Damascus to make the contacts with the new government and people there,” adding that EU would consider more steps “if we see that Syria goes in the right direction.” So far, the United States and the United Kingdom have also established contact with the rebel groups ruling the country, along with Qatar and Turkey. Qutaiba Idlbi, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs who focuses on Syria, said that while engaging with the US- and UN-designated terrorist organization “will present its challenges, the designation presents important leverage for the United States and international partners.” An anti-government fighter waves an Islamic flag from atop a tank in Damascus, Syria on December 9. In his first sit-down media interview with CNN at an undisclosed location in Syria, Jolani pushed back against the enduring terror designation, calling the label “primarily political and, at the same time, inaccurate.” The rebel leader has argued that some extreme Islamist practices had “created a divide” between HTS and jihadist groups early on, and claimed to oppose some of the more brutal tactics used by other jihadi groups which led to his severing ties with them. Asked whether the terror designation hinders the US’ ability to speak to the rebel group, and whether the designation will be lifted, a senior state department official told reporters last week that the US is watching whether HTS’s statements “are translated into actions on the ground.” “We’re very much hopeful they will be,” the official said.