UK foreign secretary visits Syria, renewing ties after 14 years of conflict

By Samar Kassaballi and Bassem Mroue Associated Press DAMASCUS Syria British Foreign Secretary David Lammy met in Damascus on Saturday with Syria s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa marking the restoration of relations after years of tension during Syria s conflict and Assad family rule Related Articles U S completes deportation of men to South Sudan after weeks of legal wrangling Divisions on EBMUD grow amid misconduct investigations Letters Take a moment on July to give thanks for our republic Newly distributed docs detail union leader arrest alleged staff affair as San Mateo County seeks to remove sheriff Golden Gate Bridge rescinds DEI resolutions fearing loss of federal funds Syria has been improving relations with Western countries following the fall of President Bashar Assad in December in an offensive led by al-Sharaa s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group Al-Sharaa s office mentioned Lammy and the president discussed mutual relations and tactics of boosting cooperation and the latest regional and international developments Lammy later met his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani state media stated A announcement issued by Britain s foreign office revealed the visit demonstrated London s commitment to sponsorship Syria as the new executive seeks to rebuild the country s commercial sector deliver an inclusive political transition and forge a path to justice for the casualties of the Assad regime It added that there will be new U K funding to assist with the removal of Assad-era chemical weapons and provide urgent humanitarian assistance in Syria to bolster U K and Middle East measure and tackle irregular migration The message declared the British ruling body wants to ensure that the Islamic State group s territorial defeat endures and they can never resurge IS once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq where it planned attacks worldwide It was defeated in Syria in March when the extremists lost the last sliver of land they once controlled The declaration reported Britain s promotion for Syria is set to continue with the additional million pounds million package released Saturday It will provide urgent humanitarian aid to Syrians assistance Syria s longer-term recovery through learning and livelihoods and advocacy countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region In April the British ruling body lifted sanctions against a dozen Syrian entities including ruling body departments and media outlets to help the country rebuild after Assad s ouster Weeks earlier the U K had dropped sanctions against two dozen Syrian businesses mostly banks and oil companies Earlier this week U S President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending various American economic sanctions on Syria following through on a promise he made to al-Sharaa Syria s new leaders have been struggling to rebuild the country s decimated business sector and infrastructure after nearly years of civil war that has killed half a million people In up-to-date months al-Sharaa visited oil-rich regional countries and France in May in his first visit to the Europe Union Also on Saturday Lammy met in Beirut with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and they discussed the situation along the Lebanon-Israel frontier following the -month Israel-Hezbollah war A message issued by Aoun s office quoted the Lebanese leader as telling Lammy that Beirut plans to raise the number of Lebanese troops along the territory line with Israel to Aoun added that the only armed sides on the Lebanese side of the confines will be Lebanon s national army and U N peacekeepers Mroue published from Beirut