The United States will appoint President Donald Trump's long-time friend and current U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, as a special envoy for Syria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter and a diplomat in Turkey said.
The decision follows Trump's landmark announcement last week that U.S. sanctions on Syria would be lifted. It also suggests U.S. acknowledgement that Turkey has emerged with key regional influence on Damascus since Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's ouster by rebels in December.
Trump met with Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on May 14 and urged him to normalise ties with long-time foe Israel following his surprise sanctions announcement.
"There is no announcement at this time," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said when asked for comment about Barrack's Syria role.
Barrack, a private equity executive who has long advised Trump and chaired his inaugural presidential committee in 2016, is expected to continue as U.S. envoy to Turkey, the sources said.
Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said he was allowing Turkish embassy staff, including Barrack, to work with local officials in Syria to understand what kind of aid they need.
"We want to help that government succeed, because the alternative is full-scale civil war and chaos, which would, of course, destabilise the entire region," Rubio said.
A U.S.-Turkish meeting focused on Syria took place in Washington on Tuesday with Barrack in attendance, according to Turkey's foreign ministry, which said sanctions relief and efforts to counter terrorism had been discussed.
Removing U.S. sanctions that cut Syria off from the global financial system would clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organisations working in Syria, and ease foreign investment and trade as the country looks to rebuild.
Barrack has been busy since his arrival in Ankara earlier this month, dining with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on his second evening in the capital, according to people familiar with the event.
He joined Rubio for several high-profile meetings last week, including one with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani in Antalya hosted by Fidan.