Rayburn announces leaving his position as special envoy to Syria days before Joe Biden takes office

The US special envoy to Syria, Joel Rayburn, confirmed in an interview with “The National” newspaper, that he will leave his position soon, days before the US president-elect, Joe Biden, takes over his duties at the White House, on January 20.

“This is a natural rotation of employees that occurs during the transition from one department to another,” Rayburn added.

American sources told the National newspaper that President-elect Joe Biden has begun forming a new, more coherent team for Syria.

Sources indicated that Rayburn’s staying was not possible under Biden’s team, due to politics and personnel differences.

Rayburn is considered one of the architects of US policy toward Syria under President Donald Trump, as he held the position of Senior Director for Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon at the US National Security Council from early 2017 until July 2018. He began his position after that as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs and Special Envoy for Syria, before becoming Special Envoy to Syria, last November