Washington, Dec 21, (dpa/GNA) – Senior US diplomats said they had positive talks with Syria’s new de facto ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa, on Friday about the country’s political transition.
Barbara Leaf, the top diplomat in the State Department responsible for the Middle East, met with al-Sharaa, the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which formed a transitional government in Syria after leading the surprise rebel offensive, that ousted Bashar al-Assad in early December.
US special envoy for hostages, Roger Carstens, and special envoy for Syria, Daniel Rubinstein also took part in the discussions.
Leaf told journalists after the meeting, that the discussion in Damascus centred on how important it was that terrorist groups, did not pose a threat either inside Syria or abroad.
The US had decided to drop the $10 million bounty for al-Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre Mohammed al-Joulani, after receiving “positive messages” during the discussions, Leaf said.
It was the first visit by US diplomats, since the overthrow of al-Assad, who has fled to Moscow.
Washington has been in contact with HTS before, but is struggling with how to deal with the group, which it considers a terrorist organization.
However, this does not seem to deter US diplomats from meeting with its representatives.
The diplomats also met with “members of civil society, humanitarians, and others regarding their vision for the future of Syria, and how the United States can support them,” the State Department said.
Leaf had reaffirmed the United States’ “full support for an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition and a process,” the department added.
Civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, following pro-democracy protests against al-Assad’s regime.
The following year, the US broke off diplomatic relations with the country.
GNA