“Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Photo: agenzianova.
Syria, 2024 – Syria, which is at a crossroads, faces new opportunities but also great risks, said Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria. In a recent speech, he hinted at a possible review of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) status on the international list of terrorist organisations, which has become a serious topic of discussion among world leaders. The UN statement suggests a possible change in international policy towards this group, which has been recognised as a terrorist organisation for several years. This was reported by Time Ukraine Israel portal, citing Israelinfo.
Revisiting the UN position: the time is changing
Pedersen noted that in the nine years since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2254 in 2015, the situation on the ground has changed. According to the diplomat, HTF and similar groups are no longer associated with what they were a few years ago. On the contrary, they have begun to send a message of unity and inclusiveness to the Syrian people. The UN is interested in monitoring the changes and further steps of the organisations that control the Syrian territories. In Aleppo and Hama, Pedersen also noticed positive developments on the ground, although final conclusions have not yet been drawn.
At the same time, one of the main challenges facing international negotiations is that the UN Security Council still considers HTS to be a terrorist organisation. This creates serious obstacles to the development of the peace process and negotiations with the Syrian government and opposition.
The UK and US position: a wait-and-see reaction
The UK has not yet made a decision to change its approach to KTF. Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted that the government remains wait-and-see and is not ready for any rapid changes in the classification of HTS as a terrorist organisation. He stressed that before making such a decision, it is necessary to clearly assess whether there is a realistic prospect of peace in Syria. International contacts with representatives of the HTS are not excluded, but they will be carried out with caution.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy also stressed that the country will assess the actions of the HTF in the context of how the organisation treats civilians in the territories it controls. This will be a decisive factor for future policy towards this group.
The situation in the United States also remains at the stage of waiting. The administration of President Joe Biden does not rule out the possibility of reviewing the classification of the KTF as a terrorist organisation, but stresses that this issue needs to be carefully monitored. The US State Department has confirmed that there are no plans to change the organisation’s status, but noted that this issue will be reviewed depending on further actions by KHTS.
Future prospects
Thus, the issue of the status of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on the international list of terrorist organisations will remain in the focus of international attention. The UN, the UK and the US plan to closely monitor the situation in Syria and the actions of this organisation to determine whether it can be considered a potential partner for the peace process. At the same time, the international community understands that any changes in classification could have serious political and humanitarian consequences.
