The British government has removed Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) from the country's terrorism list, despite reservations about the Syrian government's handling of violence on the coast and in the southern city of Sweida.
A statement on Tuesday said dropping HTS from the list of proscribed terrorist organisations would mean closer engagement with the Syrian government and support UK foreign policy priorities.
Changing the sanctions on HTS caps UK efforts to respond to the significant developments in Syria since rebel forces led by Ahmad Al Shara, now the President, and his HTS group toppled the regime of former leader Bashar Al Assad last December.
HTS was listed as an alias of proscribed organisation Al Qaeda in 2017.
David Lammy, the former UK foreign secretary, visited Damascus in July to renew the diplomatic relationship between Britain and Syria. Officials said closer relations would boost UK counter-terrorism efforts, tackle illegal migration and assist in the destruction of chemical weapons used by the Assad regime.
"Deproscription will also support closer working with Syria to eliminate the Assad regime’s chemical weapons programme," said the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). "This government welcomes the Syrian President’s commitment to destroy these weapons once and for all."
The US removed HTS from its terrorism list in July.
Envoy trip to Damascus
The latest move comes days after a trip by Ann Snow, the UK’s special envoy to Syria, to Damascus where she met Mr Al Shara's cabinet ministers and foreign diplomats.
Ms Snow met Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra to discuss the "Syrian army’s internal reform and restructuring, and the evolving security situation including in the north-east and Sweida", she said in social media posts about her visit last week.
She also held talks with Interior Minister Anas Khattab to discuss “efforts to strengthen border security” and combat drugs and arms smuggling. Ms Snow “reviewed priorities” for the educational projects in Syria supported by the UK during discussions with Education Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Turko.
Ms Snow met Druze activists from Jaramana and Sweida to discuss ways to “de-escalate tensions” with the government and “find a path to stability”. She also took part in a conference about accountability and justice for Syrians, organised by the International Centre for Transitional Justice.
Embassies still closed
Removing the proscription of HTS is one of the steps needed for diplomats to be exchanged and embassies in London and Damascus to reopen. The FCDO did not comment on when this would take place.
British-Syrians and Syrian refugees in the UK say they need a diplomatic presence in both capitals so that they can have official documents certified and in case of emergency when travelling to Syria as the situation remains precarious.
The UK was among the first countries to send an envoy to meet the new government after the downfall of Mr Al Assad last year.
But it delayed establishing formal diplomatic relations while it pursued back-channel negotiations with the group through the UK government's National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, an experienced conflict mediator who had worked with HTS in the past.
Nonetheless, sources told The National this year that UK-Syrian relations were among the strongest of the European countries. Earlier in the year, concerns had mounted over the Syrian government's handling of violence in the Alawite stronghold of Latakia and the Druze-majority city of Sweida.
The FCDO warned it could reinstate the designation at any time. "The UK will continue to press for genuine progress and hold the Syrian government accountable for its actions in fighting terrorism and restoring stability in Syria and the wider region," it said. "We will continue to judge the new Syrian government on their actions, not on their words."
