American diplomats in Syria, for the first time since the fall of Assad

2024-12-20 16:32:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

US diplomats, the first to visit Syria since the ouster of President Bashar Assad earlier this month, are in Damascus to hold talks with the new Syrian authorities and seek information about the fate of American journalist Austin Tice.

The U.S. State Department announced Friday morning that top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, former U.S. special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein and President Biden's hostage negotiator Roger Carstens are attending the meeting. with the interim leaders of Syria. The main issue on their agenda is the search for information on journalist Tice.

This is the first delegation of American diplomats to officially visit Syria in more than a decade, since the United States closed its embassy in Damascus in 2012.

"They will meet with Syrians, including members of civil society, activists, members of various communities and other Syrian personalities to discuss the vision for the future of their country and how the United States can support them." , according to the US Department of State.

At the top of their agenda will be the search for information about the journalist Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012. They will also call for the principles of inclusion, the protection of minorities and rejecting terrorism and chemical weapons, issues which according to President Biden's administration are critical to support the new government.

The United States redoubled efforts to find journalist Tice. They announced that officials have communicated with the rebels who toppled the Assad government about the fate of the American journalist. Charge Carstens stayed in Lebanon beforehand in search of information about him.

Journalist Tice, whose writings have been published by US newspapers such as the Washington Post and McClatchy, disappeared at a checkpoint in a disputed area in western Damascus as Syria's civil war intensified.

A video that was released weeks after his disappearance showed journalist Tice blindfolded, held by armed men, saying "Oh, Jesus." Since then, there has been no more information about him. Assad's government has denied holding it.

The insurgent group that led the attack on Damascus that forced Assad to leave — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS — has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and other countries. While the designation comes with a host of sanctions, it does not prohibit US officials from speaking to its members or leaders.

The US State Department announced that diplomats Rubinstein, Leaf and Carstens would meet with representatives of the HTS group, but did not say whether the group's leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once linked to al-Qaida, would be among them. of those with whom they would meet.

US officials say that al-Shara's public statements about protecting minorities and women's rights are welcome, but that they remain skeptical that he will not adhere to them in the future.

The United States has not had an official diplomatic presence in Syria since 2012, when the embassy in Damascus was suspended due to the Syrian civil war, although US troops are present in small parts of Syria to fight the militant group. Islamic State'.

The Pentagon announced Thursday that the United States had doubled the number of its forces in Syria to fight ISIS before Assad's ouster. The United States has also stepped up airstrikes against ISIS targets amid concerns that the lack of power would allow the militant group to re-emerge.

The diplomats' visit to Damascus is not expected to result in the immediate reopening of the US embassy, ??which is under the protection of the Czech government, according to US officials, who said decisions on diplomatic recognition would be made when the new Syrian authorities make their intentions known./ VOA