Syria's new Islamist rulers said on Sunday that U.S. sanctions on Syria were an obstacle to the war-torn country's rapid recovery and urged Washington to lift them during a visit by Syrian officials to Qatar.

Syria’s new foreign minister has met with his Qatari counterpart and Qatar’s prime minister in Doha on Sunday.

Qatar is weighing a plan to provide Syria's new rulers with funds to increase public sector salaries, a diplomatic source said Thursday, as the interim government in Damascus seeks to rebuild state institutions.

Qatar has been a staunch supporter of Syria’s erstwhile Opposition long before the fall of the now ousted president Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December. When rebel forces from Hay’at

Syria’s new Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani arrived in the Qatari capital Doha on Sunday, marking his first visit to the Gulf country. Shaibani is accompanied by Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and intelligence chief Anas Khattab during the visit,

"These sanctions constitute a barrier and an obstacle to the rapid recovery and development of the Syrian people who await services and partnerships from other countries," Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said after meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister.

Assad Shaibani called on the US to lift Assad-era sanctions on Syria, as the new Islamist rulers strive to restart the economy.Syria' s new foreign minister has continued with regional visits aimed at building bridges with neighbors,

Ministers from Syria's transitional government urged the United States to lift its sanctions on Damascus during their first visit to Qatar since overthrowing president Bashar al-Assad.The interim foreign minister called the measures a "barrier and an obstacle to the rapid recovery" telling local media that his government "renewed our demand for the United States of America to lift these sanctions".

The national airline of Qatar has announced that it will resume weekly flights to Syria 13 years after cancelling operations. Qatar Airways will offer three weekly flights between Qatar and Damascus, Syria, from Tuesday (7 January). In 2011, flights by the carrier to and from Damascus and Aleppo were cancelled amid Syria’s civil war.

Syria's new rulers said on Sunday that US sanctions on Syria were an obstacle to the war-torn country's rapid recovery and urged Washington to lift them during a visit by Syrian officials to Qatar. "These sanctions constitute a barrier and an obstacle to the rapid recovery and development of the Syrian people who await services and partnerships from other countries,