US held 'very productive' first meeting with Syria's al-Sharaa

 Senior U.S. diplomats visiting Damascus on Friday met with Syria's de-facto new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa and held a "good" and "very productive" meeting with him about Syria's political transition and decided to remove a bounty on his head.

In their first in-person meeting with the leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham since the former al Qaeda affiliate overthrew Syria's long-time President Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, al-Sharaa "came across as pragmatic", Barbara Leaf, top Middle East diplomat at the State Department, told reporters.

"It was a good first meeting. We will judge by the deeds, not just by words," Leaf, who was the head of the U.S. delegation, said in a briefing and added that the U.S. officials reiterated that Syria's new government should be inclusive. It should also ensure that terrorist groups cannot pose a threat, she said.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/us-held-very-productive-first-meeting-with-syria-s-al-sharaa/ar-AA1wfceO