UK may remove Syrian rebel group from terror list

FE Team | Published: December 10, 2024 00:15:54

LONDON, Dec 09 (BBC/AFP): The UK government could remove Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from the list of banned terrorist groups after the rebels led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden told the BBC the situation in the country was "very fluid" and if it stabilised any change in the ban would be a "relatively swift decision".
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was proscribed as a terror organisation in the UK after being added as an alias of al-Qaeda in 2017. McFadden confirmed the UK currently cannot have any communications with HTS.
The minister's comments come after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the end of the rule of al-Assad, who was overthrown and reported to have fled to Russia.
HTS and allied rebel factions seized control of the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday after years of civil war.
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, the home secretary may proscribe an organisation if they believe it commits or participates in, prepares for, promotes or encourages, or is otherwise concerned in terrorism, and if it is proportionate to do so.
It is a criminal offence to join a group on the list. It is also against the law to arrange a meeting if it is to support the activities of a proscribed organisation.
HTS's leader Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, who has now started using his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, cut ties with al-Qaeda in 2016. He has recently pledged tolerance for different religious groups and communities.
When asked by BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Monday if a process to review HTS's designation as a terror group was underway, McFadden said: "Yes, obviously that's got to be considered. They've been proscribed for quite a long time now."
Turkey calls for 'inclusive'
new govt in Syria
Turkey's top diplomat called on Monday for an "inclusive" new government in Syria after Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad following a lightning advance.
"We expect international actors, especially the United Nations, to reach out to the Syrian people and support the establishment of an inclusive administration," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a speech to ambassadors in the Turkish capital.
"We desire a Syria in which different ethnic and religious groups live in
peace... a new Syria that will have good relations with its neighbours and
will bring peace and stability to its region. "We are ready to give the necessary support for this," he said.
Although not directly involved in the rebel push, Turkey expressed support for the various forces that ended up ousting Assad and has said it hopes his removal will allow millions of Syrian refugees to return home.
Turkey, which has a long border with Syria, is home to nearly three million refugees who fled their homeland after the start of the civil war in 2011.
Syria's future should be
decided only by its
people: Pezeshkian
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Syria's future, including its political and ruling systems, should be decided only by the Syrian people.
Pezeshkian made the remarks at a cabinet meeting in Tehran while addressing the latest developments in Syria, according to a statement published on the website of his office.
He highlighted the necessity to hold dialogue among different segments of the Syrian society to reach a consensus, expressing hope that military conflicts and violence would end in the Arab state as soon as possible so that its people could decide their fate in a calm, peaceful and worriless environment and in the absence of any "destructive" external interference.