Women and men, young and old, chanted slogans including ‘No to religious rule.’
Syrian attend a gathering to call for democracy and women's rights in Damascus' Umayyad Square on December 19, 2024. (AFP)
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States diplomats arrived in Syria Friday to speak directly to the new Islamist-led rulers as local protesters in Damascus’ Ummayad Square demanded a democratic state that includes women in public life.
The American diplomats’ visit to Damascus was the first since the early days of the brutal civil war that broke out in 2011 and culminated in a surprise lightning offensive that toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad this month.
The diplomats will meet representatives of victorious group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — which is designated a terrorist group by Washington — as well as activists, civil society and members of minority groups, the State Department said.
The US officials will speak with Syrians about “their vision for the future of their country and how the US can help support them,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The delegation includes Barbara Leaf, who is the top State Department official for the Middle East, and Daniel Rubinstein, a veteran American diplomat in the Arab world who is being put in charge of engagement on Syria, the spokesperson said.
Also present is Roger Carstens, the US point man on hostages, who has been seeking clues on missing Americans including Austin Tice, a journalist who was kidnapped in August 2012.
Meanwhile, women and men, young and old, chanted slogans including “No to religious rule,” “God is for religion and the homeland is for all” and “We want a democracy, not a religious state.”
The HTS has appointed a transitional leadership to run the country until 1 March.
Despite the reassurances, many Syrians fear the new administration will move towards religious rule that marginalizes minority communities and excludes women from public life.
On Thursday, some protesters held signs reading simply the word “secular,” while one man held a sign with the scales of justice hanging equally and the words “men” and “women” written below.
HTS has roots in Al-Qaeda, causing the US to keep a distance throughout the civil war even while Washington also sought to isolate the more secular Assad, whose family’s dictatorship ruthlessly suppressed dissent for a half-century.
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