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The U.S. is set to remove the $10 million bounty it had placed on de facto Syrian leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the head of rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad earlier this month. The high-level U.S. delegation’s visit to the Syrian capital was the first such trip since the fall of the regime. Deeds are the critical thing.”Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, at Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, on Dec. 8. Carstens said the information available thus far does not confirm whether Tice, an American journalist who was abducted in Syria 12 years ago, is still alive. “We met with the quite heroic White Helmets to affirm our continued support for their life-saving efforts and tireless work to transform Syria for the better of all Syrians,” Leaf told reporters.

Persons: Abu Mohammad al, Hayat Tahrir, Bashar al, Assad, Jolani, Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Leaf, “ We’ve, “, ” Ahmed al, Abu Mohammed al, Aref Tammawi, Biden administration’s, Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, Roger Carstens, Tice, Trump, Carstens, Austin, ” Carstens, ”, ” Leaf, ” Daniel Rubinstein, ” Rubenstein, Biden, Vedant Patel Organizations: State, Near Eastern Affairs, Getty, FBI, State Department, State Department’s, ., NBC News, ISIS Locations: Damascus, Syria, AFP, American, States, U.S, United States, Washington, France, Germany

CNN —The United States has removed the long-standing $10 million bounty on the de-facto leader of Syria following a high-level US delegation meeting with the former jihadist Friday. Leaf said al-Sharaa “came across as pragmatic” and described their meeting in Damascus as “quite good, very productive, detailed.” Another source familiar with the meeting said it lasted just under two hours. Leaf, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and NEA Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein were the first US officials to travel to Syria following the collapse of the Syrian government less than two weeks ago. The US had been in direct contact with HTS on these matters and had received a commitment to help find Tice, an American journalist detained in Syria more than a decade ago. The US also hopes to find more information about the fate of other Americans who disappeared, like Majd Kamalmaz.

Persons: Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Ahmad al, Sharaa “, Leaf, ”, Abu Mohammad al, ” Leaf, “ We’ve, “, Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Daniel Rubinstein, Tice, Carstens, Austin Tice, we’ve, it’ll, ” Carstens Organizations: CNN, State, Near Eastern Affairs, Hostage Affairs, NEA, FBI Locations: United States, Syria, Sharaa, Damascus, American

☆ Arab ministers discuss how to normalise ties with Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, May 1 (Reuters) - A group of Arab foreign ministers held a landmark meeting with their Syrian counterpart in Jordan on Monday to discuss how to normalise ties with Syria as part of a political settlement of the country's more than decade-old conflict, officials said. Jordan has called on Syria to engage with Arab states jointly on a step-by-step roadmap to end the conflict, tackling the issues of refugees, detainees, drug smuggling and Iran-backed militias in Syria - all of which affect its neighbours. Amman has been fighting armed groups smuggling narcotics from Syria, including the highly-addictive amphetamine captagon. Arab states and those most impacted by the conflict are trying to reach consensus on whether to invite Assad to the Arab League summit on May 19 in Riyadh, to discuss the pace of normalising ties with Assad and on what terms Syria could be allowed back. Washington, which said it would not change its policy towards the Syrian government which it terms a "rogue" state, has urged Arab states to get something in return for engaging with Assad.

☆ Jordan to host talks on Syria's return to Arab League
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Meeting brings Syrian FM together with group of Arab statesJordan seeks an Arab-led peace road mapAMMAN, April 30 (Reuters) - Jordan will host a meeting of Arab foreign ministers and Syria's top diplomat on Monday to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League as part of a broader political settlement of Syria's more than decade-old conflict, officials said. The meeting comes two weeks after talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, failed to reach agreement on Syria's possible return to the Arab fold. Arab states and those most affected by the conflict are trying to reach consensus on whether to invite Assad to the Arab League summit on May 19 in Riyadh, to discuss the pace of normalising ties with Assad and on what terms Syria could be allowed back. Officials said the Jordanian initiative calls on Damascus to engage with Arab governments collectively on a step-by-step road map to end the conflict. At the Jeddah meeting there was resistance to the move to invite Assad to the Arab League summit, with Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait saying it was premature before Damascus accepts to negotiate a peace plan.

☆ Lebanon has 'no other way out' than IMF deal, U.S. official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Retired Lebanese army officer holds Lebanese pound banknotes during a protest over the deteriorating economic situation in Beirut, Lebanon March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie MadiBEIRUT, March 30 (Reuters) - Lebanon has no alternative for economic recovery but to make progress on a deal with the International Monetary Fund, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. Leaf said in an online briefing she had urged Lebanese officials to make progress on the full deal and to end a months-long vacuum in the presidency. Leaf said that talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials in Egypt and Jordan in recent weeks had "very slowly, painstakingly" been moving towards de-escalation. Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Alex Richardson, Alison Williams and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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