Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani will raise the new Syrian flag at the UN in New York, marking the first appearance of a high-ranking Syrian official in the US since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The new flag replaces the two-starred emblem of the Assad era. The Syrian government, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, seeks relief from US sanctions imposed during the civil war. A US delegation met with al-Sharaa to discuss conditions for sanctions relief, including the destruction of chemical weapons and counter-terrorism efforts. Other Western countries have begun easing sanctions against Syria.