The West auditions Syria’s new leaders
Live MintEurope and the U.S. are trying to navigate an awkward choice in Syria: work with Islamists long designated as terrorists in the West or risk ceding influence to the countries that will. Before lifting sanctions against HTS and Syria, they are looking for commitments to dispose of the chemical weapons left over from former President Bashar al-Assad’s despotic rule, protect women and minority groups and fight against extremists like Islamic State that could flourish in Syria’s power vacuum. The State Department’s top Middle East official, Barbara Leaf, and special presidential envoy for hostage affairs Roger Carstens met Sharaa in Damascus on Friday in the first visit to the Syrian capital by U.S. diplomats since Assad’s regime crumbled on Dec. 8. She said she also communicated the importance of broad consultation in the transition to a new government that represents and includes women as well as Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious communities. Sharaa has called on the West to lift sanctions and remove the group’s terrorist designation so the new government could access more funds to rebuild the country.
History of this topic
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