DOHA, Dec 14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - A delegation from Qatar is due to visit Syria
on Sunday for meetings with officials in its transitional government
following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, a Qatari diplomat told AFP
Friday.

"The first Qatari delegation visit to Syria is expected to happen Sunday
where they will take the necessary steps to reopen the embassy and discuss
enhancing aid delivery," the diplomat said, speaking on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the visit.

Doha closed its diplomatic mission in Damascus and recalled its ambassador in
July 2011 after an uprising against the Assad government turned into a civil
war.

Unlike other Arab countries, Qatar never restored diplomatic ties with Syria
under Assad, who was toppled over the weekend by an Islamist-led rebel
advance that swept through major cities and then the capital Damascus.

The diplomat said officials from Qatar's foreign ministry would join the
delegation and described as "untrue" "reports about a previous visit by (the)
Qatari intelligence chief to Damascus".

This week, an official briefed on developments said Qatar had "established
the first channel of communication" with the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-
Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the ouster of the former government in
Damascus.

The official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the
discussions, added the "focus of the communication with HTS and others is on
the need... to maintain calm and preserve Syria's public institutions during
the transition period".

Qatar said on Wednesday that it would soon reopen its embassy in the Syrian
capital Damascus "after completing the necessary arrangements".

The move aimed to "strengthen the close historical fraternal ties between the
two countries", foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said in a
statement.

It also sought to "enhance coordination with relevant authorities to
facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid currently provided by Qatar to the
Syrian people" via an air bridge, the statement added.