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US talks directly with Syria on missing American but White House a ‘holdup,’ family says

The family of Majd Kamalmaz is pleading with the White House to build on previous engagement with Damascus, saying the Syrians have demanded to speak with a high-level US official.
Majd Kamalmaz

The Biden administration is pursuing a direct dialogue with the Syrian government regarding US citizen Majd Kamalmaz, his family told Al-Monitor as it marked the fifth anniversary of his disappearance with an urgent appeal to the White House. 

Kamalmaz was detained at a government-run checkpoint near Damascus in February 2017 and has been missing ever since. The 64-year-old clinical psychologist from Virginia had arrived in the Syrian capital a day earlier to visit with relatives following a death in the family.

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