Senior U.S. officials have traveled to Damascus for the first diplomatic mission to Syria since the departure of Bashar al-Assad. The delegation aims to meet with various groups, including the de facto governing HTS rebel organization, to discuss a peaceful transition and the fate of missing Americans.
Senior U.S. officials arrived in Damascus on Friday for the first diplomatic mission to the Syrian capital since the fall of dictator Bashar al- Assad this month. The U.S. delegation, led by Barbara Leaf, the senior State Department official for the Middle East, is expected to meet with members of the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham ( HTS ) rebel group, according to a State Department spokesperson. The group is acting as the de facto government in Syria.
Those discussions are expected to focus on expectations for a transition to an inclusive Syrian government and the “hope to uncover information about the fate of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and other American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime,” the spokesperson said in a statement. Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, who traveled to Damascus in 2020 for secret negotiations about Tice during the first Trump administration, is also a part of the delegation. In addition to HTS, the diplomats will meet with members of civil society, activists, members of different communities and other Syrians “about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” the spokesperson said. Daniel Rubinstein, a senior adviser for the State Department’s Middle East bureau, will lead the department’s diplomatic engagement on Syria, according to the spokesperson, and will “engage directly with the Syrian people and key parties in Syria and coordinate with allies and partners.” Since Assad's ouster, the Biden administration has come under increasing pressure to put U.S. personnel on the ground to participate in the search for Tice, who was abducted in Syria 12 years ago. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday the United States was in touch with “every possible actor who might be able to get information. And this involves anyone and everyone who has some relationship with the different rising authorities in Syri
SYRIA DIPLOMACY ASSAD HTS HOSTAGE
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Thousands of Syrian celebrate in central Damascus during first Friday prayers since Assad's fallThousands of Syrians celebrated in Umayyad Square, the largest in Damascus, after the first Muslim Friday prayers following the downfall of former President Bashar Assad.
Read more »
Thousands of Syrian celebrate in central Damascus during first Friday prayers since Assad's fallThousands of Syrians celebrated in Umayyad Square, the largest in Damascus, after the first Muslim Friday prayers following the downfall of former President Bashar Assad.
Read more »
Thousands of Syrian celebrate in central Damascus during first Friday prayers since Assad's fallThousands of Syrians celebrated in Umayyad Square, the largest in Damascus, after the first Muslim Friday prayers following the downfall of former President Bashar Assad.
Read more »
Thousands of Syrians celebrate in central Damascus during first Friday prayers since Assad's fallThousands of Syrians celebrated in Umayyad Square in Damascus after the first Muslim Friday prayers following the downfall of former President Bashar Assad.
Read more »
Mass Crowds in Damascus for First Friday Prayers Since Assad's FallFriday prayers carry significant symbolism as they were a rallying point during the early days of 2011 uprising-turned-civil war.
Read more »
Iran and Hezbollah Struggle to Support Assad as Jihadi Rebels Push Toward DamascusSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »