Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani will visit Damascus on Thursday, Qatar's Al Jazeera reported, as Syria's new interim government begins a political transition after Islamist rebels ousted the Assad regime last year.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said discussions with a Qatari delegation in Damascus Thursday included reconstruction in the war-torn country, during the first visit by a head of state since Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

Qatar has been actively seeking a sanctions exemption from Washington that would allow Doha to provide financial support through official channels.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim landed in Damascus on Thursday, Qatari state media reported. He is the first Arab head of state to visit Syria since the downfall of former president Bashar Al Assad last month.