Congress members pay an unofficial visit to Syria as US mulls sanctions relief

DAMASCUS, Syria — Two Republican members of the U.S. Congress were in the Syrian capital Friday on an unofficial visit organized by a Syrian-American nonprofit, the first by U.S. legislators since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December.

Also Friday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in his first visit since Assad's fall and since the beginning of the Syrian uprising-turned-civil-war in 2011.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Rep. Cory Mills of Florida visited the Damascus suburb of Jobar, the site of a historic synagogue that was heavily damaged and looted in the civil war, and the Christian neighborhood of Bab Touma, where they met with Christian religious leaders. They also were set to meet al-Sharaa and other government officials.

The Trump administration has yet to officially recognize the current Syrian government, led by al-Sharaa, an Islamist former insurgent who led a lightning offensive that toppled Assad. Washington has not yet lifted harsh sanctions that were imposed during Assad's rule.

Mills, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Associated Press that it was ''very important to come here to be able to see it for myself, to be with various governmental bodies, to look at the needs of the Syrian people, to look at the needs for the nation for stability.''

Mills said he expected discussions with al-Sharaa to include the issue of sanctions, as well as the government's priorities and the need for the transitional administration to move toward a ''democratically elected society.''

''Ultimately, it's going to be the president's decision'' to lift sanctions or not, he said, although ''Congress can advise.''

The Congress members came at the invitation of the Syrian American Alliance for Peace and Prosperity, a nonprofit based in Indiana that describes its mission as fostering ''a sustainable political, economic, and social partnership between the people of Syria and the United States.''

Syrian Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Kabawat, the only woman and only Christian serving in the transitional government, joined the congressional team on a visit to Bab Touma, which she said was ''very important'' to Syrians.

The U.S. State Department, meanwhile, issued a statement Friday reiterating its warning against U.S. citizens visiting Syria. The statement said the State Department ''is tracking credible information related to potential imminent attacks, including locations frequented by tourists.''

Palestinian leader visits as Israeli troops remain in Syria

The Palestinian official news agency Wafa said that Abbas's visit, his first since 2007, was ''aimed at strengthening Palestinian-Syrian relations and discussing pressing regional developments.''

Abbas and al-Sharaa discussed the ongoing war in Gaza and international efforts to move forward long-stalled efforts to reach a two-state solution to the to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and ''agreed to form joint committees aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors,'' it said.

Syria has a population of about 450,000 Palestinian refugees. The Yarmouk refugee camp outside Damascus was once widely considered the capital of the Palestinian diaspora before it was largely destroyed in the war.

Palestinian refugees in Syria have never been given citizenship, ostensibly to preserve their right to go back to the homes they fled or were forced from during the 1948 creation of the state of Israel. But in contrast to neighboring Lebanon, where Palestinians are banned from owning property or working in many professions, in Syria, Palestinians historically had all the rights of citizens except the right to vote and run for office.

Syria does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. While the new Syrian authorities have said publicly that they are not interested in entering a conflict with Israel, the Israeli government regards the Islamist former insurgents now in power in Damascus with suspicion.

Israeli forces seized a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone inside Syria after the rebels toppled Assad and have launched an extensive series of airstrikes on military facilities in Syria. Israeli officials have said that they will not allow the new Syrian military south of Damascus.

Abbas' arrival in Damascus was delayed after Israeli authorities denied permission for a helicopter to land in Ramallah that was supposed to arrive from Jordan to take the Palestinian president, said a Palestinian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly. Israeli officials did not respond to a request for comment on the incident.

————

Sewell reported from Beirut.