Reuters reported on Tuesday one of the first high-level meetings between US government representatives and the post-Assad government in Syria.
Jolani (al-Sharaa) Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is still officially a US-listed terrorist group, but its Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shiban met with US Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Levant and Syria Natasha Francesch on the sidelines of the European Donors Conference in Brussels on March 18.
The US side was allegedly supposed to deliver a list of demands, promising that in return the Syrian HTS regime could have sanctions eased.
The far-reaching sanctions in question were aimed at the Assad government, but they have unleashed broader suffering among the Syrian people for years, including electricity shortages, fuel shortages, limited medicine and rapid inflation.
Interestingly, one of the main demands is the destruction of remaining chemical weapons stockpiles. Since Assad was ousted on December 8, Israel has repeatedly bombed the country, targeting both former army bases and known chemical weapons production sites.
The US is also reportedly insisting that foreign fighters not be placed in top government positions – although this has already happened. The self-proclaimed President Sharaa (Jolani) is himself a former ISIS and AQ operative.
According to more detailed details of the US list via Al Jazeera:
Syria has already appointed some foreign former rebels, including Uyghurs, a Jordanian and a Turk, to its defense ministry – a move that has worried foreign governments.
Washington also asked Syria to designate a contact person to help U.S. efforts to find Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria more than a decade ago, two U.S. officials and two sources in Washington said.
In exchange for meeting all the demands , Washington will ease some sanctions, all six sources said. The sources did not specify what kind of relief would be offered and said Washington did not give a specific timeline for meeting the conditions.
Another question that remains is the fate of the oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria. They are currently under US military occupation and have historically provided enough energy to meet Syria’s domestic needs.
Syrian Kurds have just signed a deal to integrate with Syrian state institutions. This means the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will work more closely with Damascus, perhaps eventually handing over oil fields.
