![UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves 10 Downing Street after attending the weekly Cabinet meeting in London, United Kingdom on October 15, 2024. [Raşid Necati Aslım - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/AA-20241015-35918809-35918782-WEEKLY_CABINET_MEETING_IN_LONDON.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Britain has had diplomatic contact with the new regime in Syria led by Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), the group that swept President Bashar Al-Assad from power just eight days ago, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Sunday, Reuters has reported.
“HTS remains a proscribed organisation, but we can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact as you would expect,” Lammy told broadcasters. “Using all the channels that we have available, and those are diplomatic and, of course, intelligence-led channels, we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.”
Britain also announced on Sunday a £50 million ($63m) aid package to help vulnerable Syrians, millions of whom need humanitarian assistance after more than a decade of civil war that has destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure and displaced large numbers of people. Some of the many who fled the country are returning from neighbouring states.
The UK said that £30m will provide “immediate help to more than a million people including food, shelter, emergency healthcare, and protection for the most vulnerable.” That aid, distributed mostly through UN channels, will support “emerging needs including the rehabilitation of essential services such as water, hospitals and schools.”
To help Syrians in neighbouring countries, £10m will go to the World Food Programme (WFP) in Lebanon and £10m will go to Jordan via the WFP and the UN refugee agency.
“The fall of the horrific Assad regime provides a once-in-a-generation chance for the people of Syria,” said Lammy. “We’re committed to supporting the Syrian people as they chart a new course.”
The UK also intends to work diplomatically to help ensure better governance for the future of Syria,” added the foreign secretary. “It is essential that the future Syrian government brings all parties together to achieve the stability and respect that the Syrian people deserve.”
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