Qatar will send its first official delegation to Damascus on Sunday to discuss with Syria’s transitional government the reopening of its embassy and humanitarian aid, an official said today.

“They will take the necessary steps to reopen the embassy and discuss increasing humanitarian aidsaid this source.

The official denied that the head of the country’s intelligence services visited Damascus on Thursday, as reported by the Syrian Ministry of Information yesterday.

Ibrahim Kalin, the head of the Turkish secret services, went to Damascus yesterday for talks regarding the new leadership of Syria. Syria’s Ministry of Intelligence reported that in addition to Khalin, Khalfan al-Kaabi, the Qatari counterpart, was also found in the country, which was denied today.

Qatar’s embassy in Damascus was closed in July 2011 due to the brutal crackdown on anti-government protests by Bashar al-Assad’s regime that led to a 13-year civil war. In recent years, Doha has rejected attempts by many Arab countries to restore relations with the Assad government.