Syria’s new leadership has named a transitional parliament. It is the first formal step after Assad’s fall. But the composition is raising eyebrows in Whitehall.
The list, leaked to journalists overnight, includes representatives from the main opposition blocs. Conspicuously absent: any formal role for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) or other jihadist factions. This is deliberate. The UK has been quietly working channels to ensure that the next Syrian government is palatable to the international community.
Foreign Office sources tell me that the priority is “stabilisation without legitimising extremists.” The phrase is being used in every briefing. Privately, officials admit they are in a race against time. The vacuum after Assad is dangerous. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians are waiting to return. But the presence of armed groups, some with links to Al-Qaeda, complicates every step.
Westminster’s Syria lobby is divided. Some argue that engaging with moderate Islamists is necessary. Others insist that any inclusion of HTS, regardless of renunciation of violence, is a red line. The new parliament is a test. It is meant to show that the transition is in safe hands. But the jihadist problem has not gone away. It has simply been parked for now.
The UK’s position is clear: support for a unified Syria, free of Assad, but also free of terrorism. The question is whether that is possible. The new parliament has a mountain to climb. And the watchers in Whitehall are not optimistic.
More to follow.
