WASHINGTON — The Biden administration says it is in touch with all rebel groups in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad and wants the process of forming a new government to be led by Syrians.
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby spoke with VOA Turkish’s White House correspondent Begum Donmez Ersoz and said whatever governance comes out of the process, Washington wants to make sure it meets the aspirations of the Syrian people.
Kirby says it’s too soon to tell whether Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Sunni Islamic al-Qaida offshoot that the United States has designated a terror group, and its leader, Mohammed al-Golani, have undergone an ideological transformation.
The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
VOA: Did Israel give the United States prior notification of their strikes on the Golan Heights and their deeper push into Syria?
John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser: I’m going to let the Israelis speak to their operations, and I’m not going to speculate about what they’re doing. I would just tell you that they certainly have the right to self-defense. We recognize that they see threats across that border as things unfold in Syria, and they’ve taken some actions. … We, too, share a concern that the Israelis have over chemical weapons and the possibility of stockpiles in Syria and the potential use … so we’re in constant communication with the Israelis about what they’re doing, and that will continue.
VOA: Does the U.S. believe that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has undergone an ideological transformation?
Kirby: I think it’s too soon to tell. Mr. al-Golani is saying the right things about inclusiveness, about not being interested in persecuting either minorities or other groups. But I think, you know, we have to wait and see what they actually do in terms of trying to establish good governance. … They are still a designated terrorist group. … Whatever kind of governance comes out of this, we want to make sure it meets the aspirations of the Syrian people, that they have a vote and a voice in their future. So, we want it to be a Syrian-led process, and the United States will continue to support that kind of process.
VOA: There is a concern in Turkey about the potential of an independent Kurdish state in northern Syria. How will the United States mitigate Turkey’s concerns?
Kirby: They have legitimate concerns in terms of the safety and security of people inside Turkey. I know right now, Syria is kind of coming to the fore because of the news over the weekend, but it’s not as if we haven’t continually, over the last four years, had conversations with the Turks about their concerns along that border. And quite frankly, sharing with them our concerns about what we’re trying to do against ISIS, partnering with the Syrian Democratic Forces. So, where those two levels of concerns overlap, or maybe conflict, we have the ability and have executed the ability to have conversations with the Turks to try to sort all this out.
VOA: The United States is talking to Turkey for information on the whereabouts of journalist Austin Tice. Can you share more on those talks?
Kirby: I won’t get into the details of the discussions. … We’re still trying to get more context and information about Austin — where he is, what condition he might be in. We obviously talked to the Turks about this … but we also talked to other counterparts in the region. Those conversations are ongoing. As the president said on Sunday, we want to see him back home with his family where he belongs, and we’ll continue to have the level of engagement in the region to see if we can bring about that outcome.
VOA: President-elect Donald Trump has signaled a hands-off approach in Syria. What would be the danger of that for U.S. interests in the region?
Kirby: Well, we’ll let Mr. Trump speak to his plans when he comes into office. We believe there are two things keenly in America’s national security interest. Number 1 is the transition, peaceful transition, to legitimate governance in Syria that is a Syrian-led process. … The second thing that’s very much in our national security interest is making sure that ISIS cannot regenerate the capabilities like it had in 2014 and cannot exploit the current uncertainty in Syria to their own advantage.
VOA: Syria was an important playground for Iran and the Shia Crescent. That has been broken now. Do you think Iran’s ambitions over the Middle East are over?
Kirby: I think only [the] supreme leader can answer that particular question. … As Iran wakes up and looks at the region, it is different, and their axis of resistance has been broken in many, many places. … And they, too, have been weakened as a military and as a capability, just in terms of, for instance, air defense. … That said, I can’t tell you that, as we look at the world today, that we see Iran giving up on their hegemonic ambitions in the region. They certainly are not as capable of executing those visions and that ambition, but I haven’t seen anything that would indicate that that they’re turning a blind eye to trying to pursue those kinds of ambitions.
VOA: Would the United States accept a hard-line government under HTS in Syria that would contain Iran, as Golani alluded to in his speech?
Kirby: What we want to see in terms of governance in Syria is governance that is seen as credible and legitimate, that is sustainable, that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people, and that is the result, the product, of a Syrian-led process to get them to that point. I think it’s too soon to know exactly how it’s all going to unfold, and we’re watching this real, real close.
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