Qatar’s Emir becomes first head of state to visit Syria’s Damascus since Assad’s fall

DAMASCUS - Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, visited Damascus on Jan 30, the first visit by a head of state to the Syrian capital since

the Dec 8 fall

of President Bashar al-Assad to an Islamist rebel offensive.

The visit came a day after

Syria’s de facto leader, Mr Ahmed al-Sharaa, was declared president

for a transitional period, which tightened his hold on power less than two months after he led a lightning campaign that ended Mr Assad’s autocratic rule.

The Qatari Emir was received at Damascus International Airport by Mr Sharaa, leading a senior official delegation that included the defence and foreign ministers.

Sheikh Tamim stressed in his meeting with Mr Sharaa “the urgent need to form a government that represents all segments of the Syrian people”, the Qatari royal court said.

Relations between Syria and many fellow Arab states as well as Western powers have been thawing under the country’s change of leadership, which ended Damascus’ close alliance with Russia and Iran.

Qatar, a long-time supporter of the armed uprising against Mr Assad, plans to help finance a sharp increase in public sector wages pledged by Syria’s new government, a US official and a senior diplomat told Reuters in January.

The wealthy Gulf Arab state had been lobbying the US to issue a sanctions exemption for Syria allowing it to provide funding through official channels, they added.

“The Syrian people won’t forget Qatar’s committed position while we open a new chapter in a new Syria,” Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani said, in a joint press conference with Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed al-Khulaifi.

The Qatari and Syrian officials discussed a comprehensive framework for post-war reconstruction in Syria, Mr Shibani said.

Mr Khulaifi said Qatar hopes to increase aid to Syria and continue to offer support when it comes to electricity and the country’s infrastructure.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Damascus earlier in January, and said natural gas-rich Qatar would supply Syria with 200 megawatts of electricity, which would be gradually increased.

Qatar said in December it would reopen its embassy in Damascus after a more than 13-year closure.

Qatar shut its embassy in July 2011 after withdrawing its ambassador in protest at Mr Assad’s deadly crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, violence that spiralled into a protracted civil war. REUTERS