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.

DAMASCUS/DOHA: Qatar is planning to help finance a massive boost in public sector wages promised by Syria's new government, a U.S. official and a senior diplomat said, vital assistance to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus a month after they toppled Bashar al-Assad.

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

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,

International community has not rushed to lift economic restrictions on Syria and is instead waiting to see how the new authorities exercise their power

The country’s new leaders are pushing to restore a sense of normalcy. But Syria remains under a host of international sanctions imposed during the Assad regime.

"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.

Shaibani also highlighted Damascus' desire to "mend ties with the Arab and international community", setting aside what he called the "old regime's approach", and stressed that Syria aims for "peaceful and cooperative relations that foster principles of justice, freedom and equality" for every citizen.

Qatar Airways flight QR410 marks the first inbound international flight to Syria since the regime change. This flight also marks the airline's historic resumption of commercial services between Qatar and Syria after more than a decade. In 2011, Qatar Airways suspended its flights to Damascus and Aleppo due to the onset of the civil war in Syria.

The fifth annual medical conference of the Syrian Medical Association was held in Qatar in an atmosphere filled with joy and

Could the return of Qatar Airways to Damascus tempt other international airlines to put the Syrian capital back on the route map?