US officials visit Damascus for meetings with new Syrian rulers
Top rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani speaks to a crowd at Ummayad Mosque in Damascus, after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted President Bashar al-Assad, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano//File Photo
U.S. diplomats visiting Damascus were expected on Friday to hold Washington's first in-person official meetings with Syria's new de facto rulers led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, hoping to gauge what plans the former al Qaeda affiliate has for the country, News.az reports citing Reuters.
The United States, other Western powers and many Syrians were glad to see militias led by HTS topple President Bashar al-Assad, but it is not clear whether the group will impose strict Islamic rule or show flexibility and move towards democracy.
Officials from the Biden administration will discuss with HTS representatives a set of principles such as inclusivity and respect for the rights of minorities that Washington wants included in Syria's political transition, a State Department spokesperson said.
The State Department's top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and Senior Advisor Daniel Rubinstein, who is tasked with leading the Department's Syria engagement, are the first U.S. diplomats to travel to Damascus since Assad's rule collapsed.
A press conference had been scheduled with the U.S. officials but a statement issued on behalf of Leaf said it was cancelled for security concerns, without providing details.
Western governments are gradually opening channels to HTS and its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former commander of an al Qaeda franchise in Syria, and starting to debate whether to remove the group's terrorist designation. The U.S. delegation's trip follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.
The delegation will also seek information about U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in 2012, and other American citizens who went missing under Assad.
The delegation would meet members of various communities and civil society as well as meeting HTS representatvies to discuss "transition principles" endorsed by the U.S. and regional partners, the State Department spokesperson said.
The United States, other Western powers and many Syrians were glad to see militias led by HTS topple President Bashar al-Assad, but it is not clear whether the group will impose strict Islamic rule or show flexibility and move towards democracy.
Officials from the Biden administration will discuss with HTS representatives a set of principles such as inclusivity and respect for the rights of minorities that Washington wants included in Syria's political transition, a State Department spokesperson said.
The State Department's top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and Senior Advisor Daniel Rubinstein, who is tasked with leading the Department's Syria engagement, are the first U.S. diplomats to travel to Damascus since Assad's rule collapsed.
A press conference had been scheduled with the U.S. officials but a statement issued on behalf of Leaf said it was cancelled for security concerns, without providing details.
Western governments are gradually opening channels to HTS and its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former commander of an al Qaeda franchise in Syria, and starting to debate whether to remove the group's terrorist designation. The U.S. delegation's trip follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.
The delegation will also seek information about U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in 2012, and other American citizens who went missing under Assad.
The delegation would meet members of various communities and civil society as well as meeting HTS representatvies to discuss "transition principles" endorsed by the U.S. and regional partners, the State Department spokesperson said.
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