AFP :
US diplomats are in Syria to meet the country’s new rulers, the State Department said on Friday, as outside powers seek assurances, they will be moderate and inclusive.
The ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad ended decades of abuses and years of civil war, but it has raised concerns about the rights of minorities, as well as women, and the future of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
On Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators in Damascus demanded democracy and women’s rights, in the first such protest since Assad’s departure. In northeast Syria’s Qamishli, thousands demonstrated in support of a US-backed, Kurdish-led force that is under pressure from Turkey and allied rebel fighters.
The lightning offensive that forced Assad’s departure was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is rooted in Al-Qaeda’s Syria branch but has more recently adopted a moderate tone. Still, its sudden arrival in the capital has left foreign governments scrambling for a new policy, particularly in some countries where HTS is designated a terrorist group.
US diplomats have not been to Damascus on a formal mission since the early days of the civil war that erupted after Assad cracked down on anti-government protests in 2011.
They will meet representatives from HTS, which Washington deems a terrorist group, as well as activists, minority groups and civil society, the State Department said.
They will speak with Syrians about “their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The delegation includes the US point man on hostages, who has been seeking clues on missing Americans including Austin Tice, a journalist who was kidnapped in Syria in August 2012.
The trip comes a week after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States had been in direct contact with HTS, as he toured Syria’s neighbours.
At talks in the Jordanian resort of Aqaba, Western and Arab powers as well as Turkey jointly called Saturday for an “inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government” that respects the rights of all of Syria’s diverse communities.
That call was echoed at talks in Cairo on Thursday by countries including Turkey and Iran, which backed different sides in Syria’s civil war.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose country backed Assad, called for “the participation of all (Syrian) groups in the future government… as well as respect for different beliefs and religions.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who supported the opposition to Assad, called for reconciliation and restoration of Syria’s “territorial integrity and unity.”
He also urged the “establishment of a Syria free of terrorism.” Turkey has been putting pressure on Kurdish-led fighters and said Thursday it would continue military preparations until they “disarm.”
The semiautonomous northeastern region of Syria is protected by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a group led by People’s Protection Units (YPG).
Turkey accuses the YPG of being a branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which both Washington and Ankara consider a terrorist group.
Kurdish leaders in Syria have welcomed Assad’s ouster and raised the three-star independence-era rebel flag, but many in the region fear continued attacks by Turkey and allied fighters.
