Senior US diplomats discuss power transition in Syria with HTS leader
Shafaq News/ On Friday, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Ahmed al-Sharaa, (known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani,) held a “positive” meeting with a US diplomatic delegation in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
The US Department of State spokesperson clarified that the high-ranking US delegation discussed the principles of power transition in Syria, regional developments, and the need to combat ISIS. and members of various sects.
He further stated that the diplomats discussed issues related to the fate of missing journalist Austin Tice and other American citizens who disappeared during Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The American diplomats also held direct talks with representatives of Syrian civil society, activists,
In addition, the US mission in Damascus was scheduled to hold a press conference on Friday; however, a spokesperson for the US State Department stated that the conference was canceled for security reasons.
Earlier, the US State Department announced that American diplomats had arrived in Syria to meet with the new Syrian authorities, marking an unprecedented diplomatic mission between Washington and Damascus during the 13-year-long civil war.
The high-ranking US diplomats include Barbara Leaf, the US senior diplomat for Middle East affairs; Roger Carstens, the presidential envoy for hostage affairs; and Daniel Rubinstein, the newly appointed US advisor tasked with leading US diplomatic efforts in Syria. These diplomats will be the first Americans to travel to Damascus since the Syrian opposition ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
