Jordan, Syria, US hold trilateral talks on Sweida ceasefire

Amman, Aug 13 (IANS) Jordan on Tuesday hosted a trilateral meeting with Syria and the United States to discuss the situation in Syria, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Syrian foreign affairs chief Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, and representatives from relevant institutions in the three countries attended the meeting, the ministry said.

The participants stressed that Sweida remains an integral part of Syria and underscored the need to safeguard the rights of its residents while rebuilding a unified state with broad citizen participation, Xinhua news agency reported.

They agreed to meet again in the coming weeks to continue the discussions and respond to the Syrian authorities' request to form a trilateral working group aiming at helping consolidate the Sweida ceasefire and advance a resolution to the crisis, it said.

Jordan and the US welcomed Syrian authorities' steps, such as investigating recent violations in Sweida, cooperating with UN agencies, expanding humanitarian aid, rehabilitating damaged areas, returning displaced people, and promoting civil peace, it said.

The two countries also called for more international reconstruction efforts, it said.

The meeting built on talks held in Amman on July 19 that focused on consolidating a ceasefire in Syria's southern Sweida province and resolving the crisis there.

--IANS

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