Senior US diplomats from the Biden administration are in Damascus on Friday to meet the new Syrian authorities led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a State Department spokesman said. It is the first personal and official meeting between Washington and Syria’s de facto new ruler.
The diplomats will also seek information on the whereabouts of missing American journalist Austin Tice.
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, former special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein and the Biden administration’s chief envoy for hostage negotiations Roger Carstens are the first U.S. diplomats to travel to Damascus since Syria’s oppressive opposition militias overthrew President Bashar al-Assira. Assad.
The visit comes at a time when Western governments are gradually opening channels to HTS and its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and discussing whether or not to remove the group’s terrorist designation. The US delegation’s trip follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.
During their meetings, U.S. officials would discuss with HTS representatives a range of principles, such as inclusiveness and respect for the rights of minorities, that Washington wants to incorporate into Syria’s political transition, the spokesman said.
Journalist was kidnapped in 2012
The delegation will also work to obtain new information about Tice, who was captured during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012, as well as other American citizens who went missing during the Assad regime.
“They will speak directly to the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of diverse communities, and other Syrian voices, about their vision for their country’s future and how the United States can support them,” the ministry said Speaker.
“They also plan to meet with HTS representatives to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan,” the spokesman said.
The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Syria in 2012 and closed its embassy in Damascus.
In a seismic moment for the Middle East, Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on December 8 and forced Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war, ending his family’s decades-long rule.
The lightning offensive raised questions about whether the rebels will be able to ensure orderly transit
The US considers the rebel leader to be a terrorist
Troops under the command of Ahmed Al-Sharaa – better known as Abu Mohammed Al-Golani – replaced the rule of the Assad family with a three-month interim government that had ruled a rebel enclave in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.
Washington designated al-Sharaa a terrorist in 2013 and said al-Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and introducing Islamic sharia law in Syria. It said the Nusra Front, the HTS’s predecessor, carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and promoted a violent sectarian vision.
U.S. President Joe Biden and his top aides called the fall of Assad a historic opportunity for the Syrian people, who have lived under his repressive rule for decades, but also warned that the country faces a period of risk and uncertainty.
Washington remains concerned that the extremist group ISIS could seize the moment to resurgence and also wants to avoid clashes in the northeast of the country between Turkish-backed rebel groups and U.S.-allied Kurdish militias.
