Diplomats meet in Jordan to discus Syria's future

Diplomats from the United States, Turkey, the European Union and Arab nations met in Jordan on Saturday for talks on Syria as regional and global powers scramble for influence over which government replaces Bashar al-Assad. 

Outgoing US President Joe Biden's administration has begun engaging with the victorious rebel groups including Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led a lightning assault that ended in the capture of Damascus on Sunday.

Biden sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region this week to seek support for principles that Washington hopes will guide Syria's political transition, such as respect for minorities.

Meanwhile, Syria's northern neighbour Turkey, which had for years supported Syrian opposition forces looking to remove Assad, is poised to play an influential role in Damascus.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday that his country's embassy in the Syrian capital would resume work on Saturday, after Turkey's intelligence chief visited this week.

Syria's neighbour Jordan was hosting Saturday's gathering in Aqaba. Russia and Iran, who were Assad's key supporters, were not invited.