DAMASCUS - Foreign countries stepped up efforts to establish contacts with Syria's interim rulers, a week after Islamist-led rebels sent president Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Moscow, ending decades of brutal rule.
The United Nations special envoy for Syria was among those arriving in the Syrian capital, where he pressed for "justice and accountability for crimes".
"And we need to make sure that that goes through a credible justice system, and that we don't see any revenge," Geir Pedersen said.
He later met rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the rebels' Telegram channel said.
A Qatari delegation also landed in Syria to meet transitional government officials.
They reaffirmed the Gulf emirate's "full commitment to supporting the Syrian people... following the success of their revolution," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman told the emirate's official news agency.
Qatar's embassy is set to resume operations Tuesday, 13 years after it closed in the early stages of the anti-government uprising that turned into years of civil war.
Unlike other Arab countries, Qatar never restored ties with Assad's Syria.
Turkey, a major player in Syria's conflict which holds considerable sway in the northwest, reopened its Damascus embassy on Saturday after 12 years.
And Britain's foreign minister said London had established diplomatic contact with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group that led the offensive that ousted Assad.
They remain "a proscribed terrorist organisation, but we can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact," said David Lammy who also announced an aid package for Syrians.
Washington's top diplomat Antony Blinken said his country has made "direct contact" with HTS, despite having designated the group as terrorists in 2018.
A French diplomatic team is due in Damascus on Tuesday to "retake possession of our real estate" as well as "establishing initial contact" with the new authorities, said acting Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
They would also be "evaluating the urgent needs of the population", he added.