Top US diplomat in Syria for talks with new leadership post-Assad
MNP – A high-level delegation of US diplomats has arrived in Syria to engage directly with the new Islamist-led government, marking the first formal diplomatic mission to Damascus since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
The visit follows the recent fall of President Bashar al-Assad after a swift offensive by opposition forces earlier this month.
The delegation includes Barbara Leaf, the top US State Department official for the Middle East, Daniel Rubinstein, an experienced diplomat specializing in Arab affairs, and Roger Carstens, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Their primary goals are to discuss the future direction of Syria under its new leadership and to seek information on missing Americans, including journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in 2012.
