Qatar says to reopen embassy in Syria 'soon'

Qatar said on Wednesday that it would soon reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus after president Bashar al-Assad's ouster in a rebel offensive.

The Gulf country "will soon reopen its embassy in the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic after completing the necessary arrangements", foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said in a statement.

The move aimed to "strengthen the close historical fraternal ties between the two countries", the statement added.

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, it continued.

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 as opposition forces and rebels swept into the capital.

Easing sanctions

This announcement comes the same day that two US congressmen  urged senior American officials to suspend some sanctions on Syria to ease pressure on its shattered economy after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

The move is the latest effort in the West to push for easing sanctions after rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), swept into Damascus. A British minister said on Monday that Britain could rethink its designation of HTS as a banned organisation.

The letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was signed by Republican Representative Joe Wilson, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and Democratic Representative Brendan Boyle, who chairs the Free Syria Caucus.

The letter acknowledges the possible extension for five more years of the Caesar sanctions, which apply across Syrian business sectors and to any national dealing with Syria or with Russian and Iranian entities in Syria.

The lawmakers wrote that while keeping sanctions on former government officials was important, they believed "that other parts of the legislation - such as sectoral sanctions and sanctions related to reconstruction - should be suspended".