The US has canceled a $10 million (about €9,6 million) reward for the arrest of Syrian de facto leader Ahmed al-Shara, following meetings between senior diplomats and representatives of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group.
Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf said that she experienced Shara as a pragmatic man and that the conversation with him was "very productive".
The American delegation arrived in the capital Damascus after HTS overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad less than two weeks ago.
Washington, however, still considers HTS a terrorist organization.
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A spokesman for the State Department confirmed that the diplomats discussed the "principles of transition" supported by the US, regional events and the need to fight against the Islamic State militant organization.
Officials are seeking more information about American citizens who have disappeared under the Assad regime, including journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Damascus in 2012, and psychotherapist Majd Kamalmaz, who disappeared in 2017, the spokesman said.
This visit is the first official US diplomatic appearance in Damascus in more than a decade.
It is another sign of the dramatic changes in Syria since the ouster of Assad and the speed of efforts by the US and Europe, which are also relying on Arab countries, to try to influence the direction Syria should take with the new government.
The visit of the American delegation came after the arrival of delegations from the UN and other countries, including Great Britain, France and Germany, in the previous days in Syria.
The delegation of high-ranking officials includes Barbara Leaf, Roger Carstens, US President Joe Biden's envoy for hostages, and Daniel Rubinstein, senior adviser in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
US representatives met with civil society groups and members of various communities in Syria and discussed "their vision for the future of the country and how the United States can help support them."
Washington is actually setting a number of conditions before it will consider removing the group from the list - a step that could help smooth the way to the sanctions relief Damascus desperately needs.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that IS leader Abu Yusif and two of his operatives were killed in an airstrike in Deir al-Zor province in northeastern Syria.
The December 20 statement said the airstrike was launched on Thursday in an area previously controlled by the Assad regime and Russian forces backing his government.
CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Eric Kurila said the U.S. will not allow Islamic State to "take advantage of the current situation in Syria and come back," adding that the group intends to free more than 8.000 imprisoned IS militants in Syria.
Watch the BBC interview with rebel leader Ahmed al-Shar
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