The US has made "direct contact" with the HTS rebels who now control Syria after toppling the Assad regime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

Axar.az reports that it is the first acknowledgement of direct American contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the US currently still designates as a terrorist organisation.

Blinken was speaking in Jordan after talks with representatives from several Arab countries, Turkey and Europe to discuss the future of Syria.

Officials agreed to support a peaceful transition process in the country, with Jordan's foreign minister saying that regional powers did not want to see it "descend into chaos".

A joint communique called for an inclusive Syrian government that respects the rights of minorities and does not offer a base for "terrorist groups".

The talk both inside and outside Syria after the tumultuous events of recent weeks has been of the vital importance of setting up new governance that represents all Syrians.