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Joe Biden is sending top diplomats to Damascus to meet with Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of the Islamist rebels who overthrew Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad but are designated a terrorist group by the US.
Barbara Leaf, the state's top Middle East official, will lead the delegation in the coming days, according to people familiar with the matter.
The meeting would be the first formal face-to-face contact between the US and the leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which has led to outrage. ousted Assad two weeks ago after an electric attack against the government.
This planned US visit comes as Jolani, now using his birth name Ahmed al-Sharea, is encouraging western countries to lift sanctions on Syria, and Washington is trying to prevent it. terrorist groups including Isis taking advantage of the power vacuum left after the fall of Assad.
US officials have said they will consider raising the terrorist designation of HTS, which has existed since 2018, and sanctions in the Syrian state if the group proves its commitment to an “inclusive” regime and maintaining stability.
“If you don't want that division, then there are certain things you have to do in moving the country forward and make sure you move it forward in an inclusive way. . . to deal with other security challenges, whether it's chemical weapons, whether it's groups like Isis,” said Antony Blinken, US secretary of state at an event in New York on Wednesday.
The US trip will follow a visit to Damascus by officials from France, Germany and the UK earlier this week.
Blinken told Bloomberg on Thursday that he is considering sending a delegation to Syria in the coming days. “It's important to have direct communication,” he saidwithout specifying who he would send or what he would decide.
US officials have been in contact with HTS to discuss Syria's political transition and to emphasize the importance of finding Austin Tice, an American journalist kidnapped in Damascus in 2012.
The US terrorist designation of HTS and its leader means that Washington cannot support the group's elements but can communicate with them. Jolani said that Assad's departure means that sanctions should be lifted from the government.
US officials have been encouraged by Jolani's reconciliation statements and promises to oversee a united Syria. But they say the challenge now is to see if his actions match his words.
The EU plans to reopen its court in Damascus. Turkey and Qatar reopened embassies they closed after Assad put down a popular 2011 uprising that turned into civil war. Ankara, which has links to HTS, has been among the main supporters of Syrian rebel groups.
The US is concerned that Isis could use the power vacuum in Syria to mobilize and launch new attacks. About 900 US troops remain in the northeast of the country to fight the terrorist group. The US has stepped up its military operations against Isis since the Assad regime fell earlier this month.