Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Trump as US extends Syria sanctions relief

The United States has issued a caller waiver to assistance the astir superior sanctions against Syria, arsenic interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visits Washington.

The determination connected Monday coincided with al-Sharaa’s gathering with President Donald Trump astatine the White House, underscoring Damascus’s propulsion to forge beardown economical ties with the West aft the autumn of erstwhile President Bashar al-Assad.

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It besides highlighted al-Sharaa’s stunning transformation from an al-Qaeda person to the president of Syria, who is cultivating affable relations with the US.

The Syrian presidency said al-Sharaa and Trump held talks “focusing connected bilateral relations betwixt Syria and the United States, ways to fortify and make them, and a fig of determination and planetary issues of communal interest”.

For his part, Trump heaped praise connected al-Sharaa aft the meeting.

“He comes from a precise pugnacious place, and he’s a pugnacious guy. I similar him,” Trump said of the Syrian president.

“We’ll bash everything we tin to marque Syria palmy due to the fact that that’s portion of the Middle East. We person bid present successful the Middle East – the archetypal clip that anyone tin retrieve that ever happening.”

Trump has been claiming that the US-brokered ceasefire successful Gaza has brought historical bid to the Middle East. But Israel has been carrying retired deadly attacks regular crossed the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon.

Al-Sharaa led equipped Syrian absorption fighters successful December of past twelvemonth to topple al-Assad and extremity the country’s civilian war, which started arsenic an uprising against the erstwhile Syrian president successful 2011.

Al-Sharaa became the archetypal Syrian president ever to sojourn the White House. Trump had met with him successful May during a travel to Saudi Arabia, erstwhile the US president announced his volition to assistance sanctions against Damascus.

‘Chance astatine greatness’

The caller sanctions alleviation connected Monday suspends Caesar Act sanctions, which prohibited US concern dealings with the Syrian authorities and military, for six further months.

Syria advocates are lobbying the US Congress to permanently repeal the instrumentality that enshrined the sanctions.

“Removing US sanctions volition enactment Syria’s efforts to rebuild its economy, supply prosperity for each its citizens, including its taste and spiritual minorities, and combat terrorism,” the US Treasury Department said successful a statement.

It added that Trump is “delivering connected his committedness to springiness Syria ‘a accidental astatine greatness’ and to fto them rebuild and thrive by lifting US sanctions and ensuring accountability for harmful actors”.

Several media reports successful the US and Syria had suggested that Damascus would besides articulation the US-led planetary subject conjugation against the equipped radical ISIL (ISIS).

Such a determination could pave the mode for the withdrawal of US troops from the country.

Al-Sharaa, 43, was captured by US forces successful Iraq during Washington’s concern of the country, and helium led al-Qaeda’s subdivision successful Syria.

Less than a twelvemonth ago, the US designated him arsenic a “global terrorist” and had a $10m reward for accusation starring to his arrest.

But the Syrian president had divided from al-Qaeda successful 2016.

Since ousting al-Assad, al-Sharaa has further reinvented his image, dropping his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani, for his commencement sanction and promoting a tolerant and inclusive Syria.

The Syrian president addressed the United Nations General Assembly earlier this year, saying that his state is “reclaiming its rightful spot among the nations of the world”.

Under his leadership, the US and European countries person dilatory welcomed Syria backmost into the planetary fold aft decades of hostility with the country’s erstwhile regime.

Still, al-Sharaa received a muted invited astatine the White House connected Monday. He entered the White House done a broadside doorway and was not greeted by Trump outside.

And determination was nary photograph accidental successful beforehand of the property oregon associated quality league betwixt the 2 leaders.

Syrian president meets Mast

Al-Sharaa had met with Congressman Brian Mast, seat of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and 1 of the astir staunchly pro-Israel politicians successful the country, precocious connected Sunday.

“Last evening, the caller Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and I broke bread. We had a agelong and superior speech astir however to physique a aboriginal for the radical of Syria escaped of war, ISIS, and extremism,” Mast, who antecedently wore an Israeli service azygous to Congress and argued that determination are nary guiltless Palestinian civilians, said successful a statement.

The Republican congressman is reported to beryllium sceptical of the propulsion to assistance sanctions against Syria.

Since the fall of al-Assad, Israel has been regularly bombing Syrian subject installations and authorities institutions. The Israeli subject has besides been advancing successful the southbound of the country, good beyond the occupied Golan Heights.

Al-Sharaa had said aboriginal connected that Syria would not airs a menace to Israel, and his authorities has detained elder Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members successful the country.

But the proverbial olive subdivision has not stemmed the Israeli attacks.

Al-Sharaa has said that his state is seeking a information statement with Israel to unafraid the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the areas they occupied implicit the past year.

On Monday, Trump told reporters helium was moving with Israel connected “getting on with Syria”.

“You tin expect immoderate announcements connected Syria,” helium said erstwhile asked astir the anticipation of an statement betwixt Syria and Israel.

“We privation to spot Syria go a state that’s precise successful. And I deliberation this person tin bash it. I truly do. And radical said he’s had a unsmooth past. We’ve each had unsmooth pasts.”