UN envoy calls for ‘inclusive’ transition in Syria during talks with rebel leader

Meeting in Damascus comes as diplomats scramble for influence over whatever replaces Assad regime

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The United Nations envoy to Syria has told Islamist militants who toppled Bashar al-Assad that they need to oversee a “credible and inclusive” transition, as world powers sought to engage with the country’s new rulers.

Geir Pedersen, a Norwegian diplomat, met the Syrian rebel leader. Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, in Damascus on Monday. He also met the interim prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir.