US held 'very productive' first meeting with Syria's al-Sharaa

Washington, United States/Damascus, Syria - Senior United States (U.S.) diplomats visiting Damascus on Friday met with Syria's de-facto new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa and held a "good" and "very productive" meeting with him about Syria's political transition and decided to remove a bounty on his head.

In their first in-person meeting with the leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham since the former al Qaeda affiliate overthrew Syria's long-time President Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, al-Sharaa "came across as pragmatic," Barbara Leaf, top Middle East diplomat at the State Department, told reporters.

"It was a good first meeting. We will judge by the deeds, not just by words," Leaf, who was the head of the U.S. delegation, said in a briefing and added that the U.S. officials reiterated that Syria's new government should be inclusive. It should also ensure that terrorist groups cannot pose a threat, she said.

"Ahmed al-Sharaa committed to this," Leaf said. "So, based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing rewards for justice," she said, referring to a $10 million bounty that U.S. had put on the HTS leader's head.

The United States, other Western powers and many Syrians were glad to see militias led by HTS topple Assad, but it is not clear whether the group will impose strict Islamic rule or show flexibility and move towards democracy.

Western governments are gradually opening channels to HTS and al-Sharaa, a former commander of an al Qaeda franchise in Syria, and starting to debate whether to remove the group's terrorist designation. The U.S. delegation's trip follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.

The United States has outlined a set of principles, such as inclusivity and respect for the rights of minorities, that Washington wants included in Syria's political transition.

The U.S. delegation also worked to uncover new information about U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in 2012, and other American citizens who went missing under Assad.

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, who was part of the delegation, said Washington would work with Syria's interim authorities to find Tice.

Carstens, who has been in the region since Assad's fall, said he has received a lot of information about missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice, but none of it had so far confirmed his fate one way or another.

The U.S. cut diplomatic ties with Syria and shut its embassy in Damascus in 2012. Daniel Rubinstein, the newly appointed senior advisor who will lead U.S. engagement in Syria, indicated there would be more trips by U.S. officials. "We're going to try to do them prudently and as frequently as practical."

Terrorist designation

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 sweep ended a war that killed hundreds of thousands, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble, countryside depopulated and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.

The lightning offensive raised questions over whether the rebels will be able to ensure an orderly transition.

Forces under the command of al-Sharaa - better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani - installed a three-month caretaker government that had been ruling a rebel enclave in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

Washington designated al-Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad's rule and establishing sharia Islamic law in Syria. It said the Nusra Front, the predecessor of HTS, carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and espoused a violent sectarian vision.

Al-Sharaa said the terrorist designation was unfair and that he opposed the killing of innocent people.

Washington remains concerned that Islamic State could seize the moment to resurrect and also wants to avoid any clashes in the country's northeast between Turkey-backed rebel factions and U.S.-allied Kurdish militia.

Syrians gather

On Friday, thousands of Syrians held a celebration at Ummayad Square in central Damascus, in an event called for by HTS. Speakers blared revolutionary songs, while people waved the newly adopted Syrian flag and chanted slogans in support of the government and against Assad.

The crowd was a mix of people from different walks of life and backgrounds: armed men in military fatigues, women – both with and without headscarves – and children.

Maram, 62, said that her four children had fled Syria 11 years ago and settled in Germany and Hungary after two of her sons were detained and tortured. She has not seen them since, but they plan to return to their country to help rebuild it, she said.

"The country has been completely destroyed in every aspect," she said, adding she hoped HTS could improve things, but was watchful. "We were not accustomed to freedom or governing our own country, so we will continue to monitor until we reach our goal."

There is widespread apprehension among Syrians that the new administration will gravitate towards hardline religious rule, marginalizing minority communities and excluding women from public life.

Obaida Arnout, a spokesperson for the Syrian transitional government, said this week that women's "biological and physiological nature" rendered them unfit for certain governmental jobs.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Additional reporting by Daphne Psaladekis in Washington, Emma Farge in Geneva; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Timothy Heritage, Ros Russell, Alex Richardson and Alistair Bell)