By Humeyra Pamuk and Amina Ismail
WASHINGTON/DAMASCUS (Reuters) – US diplomats visiting Damascus held Washington's first official meetings with Syria's new rulers led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on Friday and discussed with former al Qaeda the future of Syria's political transition.
The United States, other Western powers and many Syrians are happy to see HTS-led forces topple President Bashar al-Assad, but it is unclear whether the group will impose strict Islamist rule or show flexibility and move toward democracy.
Western governments gradually opened channels to HTS and its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former head of the al Qaeda franchise in Syria, and began discussing whether to remove the terrorist group's designation. The US delegation's trip follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.
The State Department's top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, the President's Special Envoy for Internal Affairs Roger Carstens and Senior Advisor Daniel Rubinstein, who is now tasked with leading the Syria Department's engagement, are the first US diplomats to go to Damascus since the Assad regime fell.
“They have met with HTS representatives to discuss the terms of the transition approved by the United States,” a State Department spokesman said. “They also discussed regional events and the importance of fighting ISIS,” the spokesman added.
The delegation is working with civil society groups and members of various communities in Syria “about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help,” the spokesman said.
Days after the ousting of Assad, the United States defined a set of principles, such as inclusion and respect for the rights of minorities, that Washington wants to be included in the political transition of Syria.
The panel also worked to uncover new information about US journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped during a trip to Syria in 2012, and other American citizens who have gone missing under Assad.
A press conference was planned with US officials but a statement issued on behalf of Leaf said it was canceled due to security concerns, without giving details.
The US cut ties with Syria and closed its embassy in Damascus in 2012.
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family's decades-long rule.
The rebel uprising ended a war that killed hundreds of thousands, sparked the biggest refugee crisis in modern times and left cities bombed, countryside depopulated and economies shut down by international sanctions.
The lightning strike raised questions about whether the rebels would be able to ensure the planned changes.
Forces under the command of al-Sharaa – better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani – installed a three-month-old interim government that ruled the rebel-held area of Syria's northwestern Idlib province.
Washington designated al-Sharaa as a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with toppling the Assad regime and establishing sharia in Syria. It said the Nusra Front, the predecessor of HTS, had carried out suicide attacks that killed people and demonstrated the ideology of a violent sect.
Golani says the designation of terrorists is unfair and opposes the killing of innocent people.
Washington remains concerned that Islamic State may take time to rise and also wants to avoid any conflict in the country's northeast between Turkish-backed rebel groups and US-allied Kurdish forces.
THE SYRIANS COLLECTED EACH OTHER
On Friday, thousands of Syrians celebrated in Ummayad Square in central Damascus, in an event called by HTS. Speakers sang revolutionary songs, while people waved the newly adopted Syrian flag and chanted slogans in support of the international government and Assad.
The crowd was a mixture of people from different walks of life and backgrounds: armed men tired of the army, women – both and those without headscarves – and children.
Maram, 62, said her four children fled Syria 11 years ago and settled in Germany and Hungary after two of her sons were imprisoned and tortured. He hasn't seen them since, but they plan to return to their country to help rebuild, he said.
“The country is completely destroyed in everything,” he said, adding that he hoped HTS would improve things, but he was watching. “We were not used to freedom or control of our country, so we will continue to monitor until we reach our goal.
There is widespread fear among Syrians that the new regime will gravitate toward strict religious rule, marginalizing minority communities and excluding women from public life.
Obaida Arnout, a spokesman for Syria's transitional government, said this week that women's “biological and physical nature” made them unfit for certain government jobs.