On Barbara Leaf’s visit to the Syrian capital, Damascus
The Syrian Future Movement welcomed the visit of the U.S. delegation, headed by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs “Barbara Leaf,” to Damascus on Friday, December 20, 2024. The first meeting was held with the new Syrian administration.
The Syrian Future Movement considers the inclusion of both the Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs “Roger Carstens” and the newly appointed advisor “Daniel Rubinstein,” tasked with leading U.S. State Department efforts in Syria, as a practical step toward new horizons of Syrian-American cooperation.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes the importance of improving and strengthening relations between Syria and the United States in the near future and for the shared long-term future.
The Syrian Future Movement calls on the new Syrian administration to benefit from the Syrian lobby in the United States, figures from the Syrian-American Consultative Meeting, and to work and coordinate with them to establish connections with influential figures and decision-making hubs in the United States, to secure sufficient support for Syrians during the transition to a new Syria.
The Syrian Future Movement, with its longstanding role and relationships with the United States, affirms its readiness to exert efforts to protect and solidify relations between Syria and the United States on clear foundations that ensure the independence of national decision-making and achieve mutual interests at their highest level.
The Syrian Future Movement advocates for making the relationship between Syria and the United States healthy and beneficial, pushing for the initiation of an acceptable form of diplomatic representation. It also stresses the need to lift sanctions on the Syrian people, considering this a priority for the strategic interest of ensuring the stability of the nation’s security and its citizens.
The Syrian Future Movement welcomes Barbara Leaf’s affirmation that the discussions were “good, fruitful, and detailed,” considering this a positive indicator of improving relations between the two countries.
The Syrian Future Movement views the cancellation of the press conference as a significant and beneficial indicator, carrying reassuring messages to the Syrian Future Movement that the new Syrian administration was not merely listening but also raised many critical and substantive points that unsettled the U.S. delegation, necessitating further discussion and consultation with the U.S. administration and decision-makers.
The Syrian Future Movement condemns the statement issued after the meeting, which did not mention the new Syrian administration and explicitly referred to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (in a manner with precise and profound implications for those familiar with the matter). It warns against the repercussions of such an approach in achieving the necessary internal stability, opening channels of communication with the world, and ensuring the best interests of the people in a peaceful transition to a new Syria.
