Damascus, December 13 (IANS). Senior Turkish and Qatari officials have arrived in Damascus for discussions with leaders of the rebel group that overthrew the government of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This information has been given by the Interim Information Ministry of Syria.
The Turkish delegation included Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, while Qatar was represented by State Security Service chief Khalfan bin Ali bin Khalfan al-Batti al-Kaabi, Xinhua news agency reported.
Both delegations also included an “advisory team”, according to a ministry statement.
The officials are scheduled to meet Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which played a key role in toppling al-Assad. He is also scheduled to hold talks with militant leader Mohammed al-Bashir, who is now serving as interim prime minister appointed by the rebel coalition.
The ministry said the discussions were expected to focus on advancing internal political dialogue between rebel groups.
There has been no official confirmation of this visit from the Turkish or Qatari governments. Fidan had earlier said that Ankara intended to reopen its embassy in Damascus “once conditions are favorable”.
Turkey closed its embassy in the Syrian capital on March 26, 2012, calling on Assad to step down amid rising violence and the Syrian civil war that began in 2011.
The Syrian constitution and parliament have reportedly been suspended for three months, according to Sout al-Assima, a news outlet that supports militant groups seeking to overthrow the Assad government.
The outlet reported the development on Thursday, citing unnamed sources, but did not provide details on how the suspension would be enforced.
Earlier on Wednesday, Syria’s Military Operations Administration announced that it had lifted the curfew previously imposed in Damascus and surrounding areas and called on residents to resume their daily activities and return to their workplaces.
–IANS
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