The first US diplomats to visit Syria since the fall of Bashar al Assad’s regime are now in Damascus to hold talks with the country’s new leaders.
The whereabouts of American journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in Syria in 2012, are understood to be at the top of the delegation’s agenda.
The visit is taking place nearly two weeks after the Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) rebel group ended the Assad dynasty’s more than 50 years of rule in a lightning offensive.
A spokesperson from the US State Department has said the American officials will meet with members of HTS, but did not confirm whether they will hold talks with the group’s leader Ahmad al Sharaa.
“(The delegation) will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” the US State Department said.
It comes days after British diplomats held talks with al Sharaa, who was once aligned with al Qaeda, in Syria.
HTS is designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States, the UK, the UN and the EU.
While that designation comes with a raft of sanctions, it does not prohibit American or British officials from speaking to its members or leaders.
The US delegation is being led by Barbara Leaf, the senior State Department official for the Middle East, and is expected to push for inclusion and the protection of minorities in the country.
It will also encourage Syria’s leaders to reject terrorism – something the Biden administration says will be critical for any US support for a new government.
Al Sharaa was formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al Jolani. He has sought to reassure the West since seizing power, including in comments made to Sky News.
American officials say his public statements about protecting minority and women’s rights are welcome, but they remain sceptical that he will follow through on them in the long run.
The trip is also taking place more than a decade after the US shuttered its embassy in the capital Damascus in 2012 during Syria’s civil war.
The visit will not result in the immediate reopening of the embassy, which is under the protection of the Czech government, according to American officials.
They added that diplomatic recognition will be made when the new Syrian authorities make their intentions clear.
Despite not having a diplomatic presence in Syria, US troops have been in small parts of the country during that time to fight Islamic State (IS).
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‘There is hope’ says UN envoy to Syria
Journalist still missing after regime fall
The US has increased its efforts to find missing journalist Austin Tice and return him home since the rebels took over Syria earlier this month.
Roger Carstens, the Biden administration’s chief envoy for hostage negotiations, is among those in Damascus today.
He has previously travelled to Lebanon to seek information about the journalist, who disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus during the Syrian civil war.
A video released weeks after Mr Tice went missing shows him blindfolded and held by armed men and saying “Oh, Jesus”.
He has not been heard from since.
Assad’s government had publicly denied that it was holding him.
