US diplomats meet Syrian ‘ruler’ to discuss transition

DAMASCUS: US diplomats met Syria’s new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on Friday, an official disclosed, as foreign powers seek assurances the country’s Islamist-led authorities will be moderate and inclusive.

The State Department’s top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, presidential envoy for hostage affairs Roger Carstens and senior adviser Daniel Rubinstein, who is tasked with leading the Syria engagement, are the first US diplomats to travel to Damascus since Assad’s rule collapsed.