Qatar embassy reopens in Damascus with flag raising

Qatar reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, 13 years after it was closed early in Syria's civil conflict, as foreign governments seek to establish ties with the country's new rulers.

Doha sent a diplomatic delegation to Damascus several days ago to meet with the transitional government.  On Tuesday, the European Union said it was ready to reopen its diplomatic mission in Damascus, while Britain, France and the United States have all sent delegations to the Syrian capital since Assad's overthrow.

Meanwhile, the United States on Friday dropped a $10 million bounty it had issued years earlier on Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's new leader and the head of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist rebel group that spearheaded the ouster of Assad. HTS has its roots in Al-Qaeda, but has sought to moderate its image in recent years.