US diplomats are in Syria to meet the country’s new Islamist-led rulers, the US Department of State said Friday, as outside powers seek assurances they would be moderate and inclusive.
The ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad ended decades of abuses and years of civil war, but it has raised concerns about the rights of minorities and women, and the future of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Hundreds of demonstrators in Damascus on Thursday demanded democracy and women’s rights, in the first such protest since al-Assad’s departure.
Photo: Reuters
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 al-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 al-Assad cracked down on anti-government protests in 2011.
They are meet representatives from HTS, which Washington deems a terrorist group, as well as activists, minority groups and civil society, the department said.
They are to speak with Syrians about “their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” a 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.
Western and Arab powers, and Turkey have also jointly called 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 al-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 al-Assad, called for reconciliation and restoration of Syria’s “territorial integrity and unity” and urged the “establishment of a Syria free of terrorism.”
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.
Several thousand people chanted “The Syrian people are one” and “No to war in our region, no to Turkey’s attack” at Thursday’s demonstration in Qamishli.
Meanwhile, in Damascus a diverse crowd chanted “No to religious rule” and “We want a democracy, not a religious state.”
The protest came days after a spokesman for the interim government said “female representation in ministries or parliament... is premature,” citing “biological” and other considerations.
Retired civil servant Majida Mudarres said she was furious about the comments.
“Women have a big role in political life,” she said. “We will be observing any position against women and will not accept it. The time in which we were silent is over.”
Al-Assad’s departure sparked celebrations at home and abroad.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said his ouster represented a “flame of hope” in a region “consumed by many fires,” but warned there were obstacles ahead, including continued Israeli air strikes.
“These are violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and they must stop,” Guterres said.
He also condemned Israel for pushing into a UN-run buffer zone on its border with Syria following the fall of al-Assad.
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