British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Monday that the UK has sent senior officials to meet with Syria's new leadership.
It follows the fall earlier this month of the Assad regime to Islamist-led rebels, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has its roots in Al-Qaeda.
HTS has renounced jihadism but remains proscribed as a terrorist group by several Western countries, including the UK and the United States.
"I can confirm today that we have sent a delegation of senior UK officials to Damascus this week for meetings with the new Syrian interim authorities and members of civil society groups in Syria," he said.
Lammy added at a press conference in London that the team would reiterate Britain's "support for the principles that have been set out -- an inclusive transitional political process that is Syria-led and Syria-owned".
The UK's top diplomat said sending the delegation "underlines our commitment to Syria".
Lammy also noted a weekend announcement of £50 million (60.4 million euro) in humanitarian aid for Syria, alongside funding to "help secure chemical weapons stockpiles" in the war-ravaged country.
With AFP
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