We are ready to support the Syrian people’s aspirations, said the official, quoted by Al Arabiya television.

He described the nearly 14 years of war in the country as ‘a dark chapter (that) has left deep scars’ and announced a ‘cautious hope for the beginning of a new one’.

Syrians want stable and comprehensive political transition arrangements, Pedersen estimated, hours after the entry into Damascus of the jihadist alliance Hayat Tahrir al Shams (HTS).

We have to work to implement the wishes of millions of Syrians, he stressed.

HTS currently controls the main cities of the country, including the capital Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Hama, although in the east the cities of Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir Ezzor are in the hands of Kurdish forces.

Meanwhile, the situation is uncertain around the western provinces of Latakia and Tartus.

A tense calm filled the air here this morning, after a convulsive night following the entry of armed groups and the overthrow of the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

In the midst of the crisis, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Iran, Turkey and Russia called for a political solution to the war and warned that the situation there endangers the Middle East and the world.

The situation deteriorated in recent days, after a surprise offensive 12 days ago by the Islamist alliance, which now controls the power.

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