US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Aqaba, Jordan, on Thursday, the first stop on his new Middle East tour - which will also take him to Turkey - to meet with authorities in those countries and address the crisis in the region, especially in Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
Jordanian television Al Mamlaka reported on the arrival of the head of US diplomacy in the Jordanian capital, where he is scheduled to meet on Thursday with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom, Ayman Safadi.
According to the US State Department, Blinken will show "US support for an inclusive, Syrian-led transition to accountable and representative government" in Syria after the insurgent coalition led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) took Damascus on Sunday.
In addition, it will discuss the need for the transition process and the new government in Syria to respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance, prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbours, and ensure that chemical weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed.
This is Blinken's first trip to the region since Syrian rebel forces ousted Bashar al-Assad, a development the Biden administration has hailed as a defeat for Iran and Russia.
Rebel forces on Tuesday appointed Mohamed al-Bashir, a member of the HTS group that led the offensive against Assad and which Washington considers a terrorist organisation, as acting prime minister.
The United States fears that the power struggle within the rebel ranks could fragment the country or create a vacuum that could be exploited by the Islamic State, which in 2014 controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq.
During his trip, Blinken will also discuss “the urgent need” to conclude a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that guarantees the release of hostages, provides additional humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Palestinian civilians and continues to implement the cessation of hostilities between Israel and the Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah. EFE and Aurora
Blinken lands in Jordan, the first stop on his tour to address the Middle East crisis
Antony Blinken and Abdullah II Photo file: US Department of State / Chuck Kennedy via Flickr
What crisis???
Yours, the one with the old pisser.
For us, the chips are falling into place very well.