U.S. drops bounty for Syria's new leader after Damascus meeting

A senior US diplomat told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, known by his alias Abu Mohammed al-Golani, that Washington was scrapping a reward for his arrest as she welcomed "positive messages" from their talks including a promise to fight terrorism.

"Based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice reward offer that has been in effect for some years," Barbara Leaf, the top US diplomat for the Middle East, told reporters on Friday after her meeting in Damascus.

Leaf, part of the first formal visit by US diplomats to Damascus since the early days of the brutal civil war, said "we welcomed positive messages" from Sharaa since his Islamist-rooted HTS rebels toppled strongman Bashar al-Assad.

"We will be looking for progress on these principles and actions, not just words," she said.

"I also communicated the importance of inclusion and broad consultation during this time of transition," she said.

"We fully support a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that results in an inclusive and representative government which respects the rights of all Syrians, including women, and Syria's diverse ethnic and religious communities."

Leaf's meeting with HTS chief al-Sharaa came despite Washington's 6-year-old designation of his group as a terrorist organization.

After the meeting, a statement from Syria's new leaders said they wanted to contribute to regional peace.

"The Syrian people stand at an equal distance from all countries and parties in the region ... Syria rejects any polarization," the statement said.

Leaf said she told al-Sharaa of the "critical need to ensure terrorist groups cannot pose a threat inside of Syria or externally, including to the U.S. and our partners in the region."

"Ahmed al-Sharaa committed to this," she said.

Assad's ouster

The ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad ended decades of abuses and years of civil war, but raised concerns over minorities and women's rights, as well as the future of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

The lightning offensive that toppled Assad was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), rooted in Al-Qaeda's Syria branch but recently adopting a moderate stance.

Its sudden arrival in the capital has left foreign governments, especially the United States, scrambling for new policies, as HTS is designated a terrorist group by some countries.

A Syrian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, later confirmed the US delegation had met with Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is the head of HTS.

"And the results will be positive, God willing," the official added.

First visit in 13 years

US diplomats have not been to Damascus on a formal mission since the early days of the civil war that erupted after Assad cracked down on anti-government protests in 2011.

The delegation will also meet with activists, minority groups and civil society representatives, the State Department said.

The group includes Barbara Leaf, the top State Department official for the Middle East, as well as 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.Their visit follows a statement by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, revealing direct contact with HTS.

At talks in Aqaba, Jordan, Western, Arab and Turkish powers jointly called for an "inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government" that respects the rights of all of Syria's diverse communities.

This was echoed in Cairo by Turkey and Iran, which supported different sides in the war.