In first in-person contact, US officials met Syria's HTS in Damascus

U.S. diplomats visiting Damascus held Washington's first in-person official meetings with Syria's new de facto rulers led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on Friday and discussed with the former al Qaeda affiliate the future of Syria's political transition.
The United States, other Western powers and many Syrians were glad to see militias led by HTS topple President Bashar al-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 its leader Ahmed 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 State Department's top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and Senior Advisor Daniel Rubinstein, who now is tasked with leading the Department's Syria engagement, are the first U.S. diplomats to travel to Damascus since Assad's rule collapsed. "They met with representatives of HTS to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States," a State Department spokesperson said. "They also discussed regional events and the imperative of the fight against ISIS," the spokesperson added.
The delegation engaged with civil society groups and members of different communities in Syria "about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them," the spokesperson said.Days after Assad's ouster, 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 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.
A press conference had been scheduled with the U.S. officials but a statement issued on behalf of Leaf said it was cancelled for security concerns, without providing details.
The U.S. cut diplomatic ties with Syria and shut its embassy in Damascus in 2012.