US diplomats visiting Damascus held Washington’s first in-person official meetings with Syria’s new de facto rulers led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on Friday and discussed with the former al-Qaeda affiliate the future of Syria’s political transition.
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.
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 US delegation’s trip follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.
The US state department’s top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, presidential envoy for hostage affairs Roger Carstens and senior adviser Daniel Rubinstein, who is tasked with leading the department’s Syria engagement, are the first US diplomats to travel to Damascus since the Assad rule collapsed.
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“They met with representatives of HTS to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States,” a state department spokesperson said. “They also discussed regional events and the imperative of the fight against Isis [Islamic State],” the spokesperson added.
The delegation engaged with civil-society groups and members of different communities in Syria “about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” the spokesperson said.
The US has outlined a set of principles, such as inclusivity and respect for the rights of minorities, that Washington wants included in Syria’s political transition.
The delegation also worked to uncover new information about US journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in 2012, and other American citizens who went missing under Assad.
A press conference had been scheduled with the US officials but a statement issued on behalf of Ms Leaf said it was cancelled for security concerns, without providing details.
The US cut diplomatic ties with Syria and shut its embassy in Damascus in 2012.
Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on December 8th, forcing Mr Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
The rebel sweep ended a war that killed hundreds of thousands, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble, countryside depopulated and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.
The lightning offensive raised questions over whether the rebels will be able to ensure an orderly transition.
Forces under the command of al-Sharaa – better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani – installed a three-month caretaker government that had been ruling a rebel enclave in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib.
Washington
Washington remains concerned that Islamic State could seize the moment to resurrect and also wants to avoid any clashes in the country’s northeast between Turkey-backed rebel factions and US-allied Kurdish militia.
On Friday, thousands of Syrians held a celebration at Ummayad Square in central Damascus, in an event called for by HTS. Speakers blared revolutionary songs, while people waved the newly adopted Syrian flag and chanted slogans in support of the transnational government and against the Assad regime. – Reuters