Jordan on Tuesday hosted the first formal three-way talks with Syrian and United States officials since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last December. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and U.S. special envoy Thomas Barrack in Amman to assess the security situation and outline priorities for rebuilding the war-ravaged country. In a joint statement issued after the session, the parties agreed to establish a Syrian-Jordanian-American working group tasked with supporting Damascus in consolidating a fragile ceasefire in the southern province of Suwayda, investigating recent violence, facilitating humanitarian relief and restoring essential services. The delegates reaffirmed that Suwayda remains an integral part of Syria and underscored their shared commitment to the country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The talks build on consultations held in mid-July after clan-based clashes in Suwayda left hundreds dead. Reconstruction remains a daunting challenge: the United Nations put the cost at a minimum of $250 billion in 2017, and some analysts now estimate the bill could reach $400 billion. Damascus last week announced 12 reconstruction agreements worth $14 billion, including a $4 billion airport project with Qatar’s UCC Holding and a $2 billion subway venture with a UAE-backed consortium, underscoring the scale of foreign investment being sought.