Blinken says U.S. had direct contact with Syria's Islamist rebels

• Blinken said at a news conference in Jordan that the talks with HTS were focused on discussing the fate of American journalist Austin Tice, who has been missing in Syria for 12 years.
• He said he also stressed U.S. principles for recognizing a future Syrian government.

Driving the news: Over the last few days, Blinken held talks in Turkey and Jordan about the situation in Syria.

• On Saturday, he held a joint meeting in Aqaba with the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia and agreed on joint principles for recognizing any future government in Syria.

Blinken laid out the principles in his press conference:

• He said the transition process in Syria needs to be "Syrian led and Syrian owned and produce an inclusive and representative government."
• Rights of all Syrians including minorities and women should be respected, Blinken said.

He stressed humanitarian aid should be able to reach people who need it and added state institutions should deliver essential services to the Syrian people.

• "Syria should not be used as a basis for terrorist groups or others to threaten Syrian people its neighbours and the world," the secretary of state said.

• He stressed that chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria should be secured and safely destroyed.
• "Syria should have peaceful relations with its neighbors," he said.

Between the lines: Blinken also stressed that relevant organizations should have access to facilities that can help determine the fate of missing Syrian and foreign nationals and hold human rights abusers accountable.

What he's saying: "Our message to the Syrian people is: We want you to succeed and we are ready to help you do so", Blinken said.