The United States has issued a new waiver to lift the most serious sanctions against Syria, as interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visits Washington.
The move on Monday coincided with al-Sharaa’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, underscoring Damascus’s push to forge strong economic ties with the West after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.
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It also highlighted al-Sharaa’s stunning transformation from an al-Qaeda leader to the president of Syria, who is cultivating friendly relations with the US.
The Syrian presidency said al-Sharaa and Trump held talks “focusing on bilateral relations between Syria and the United States, ways to strengthen and develop them, and a number of regional and international issues of common interest”.
For his part, Trump heaped praise on al-Sharaa after the meeting.
“He comes from a very tough place, and he’s a tough guy. I like him,” Trump said of the Syrian president.
“We’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful because that’s part of the Middle East. We have peace now in the Middle East – the first time that anyone can remember that ever happening.”
Trump has been claiming that the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza has brought historic peace to the Middle East. But Israel has been carrying out deadly attacks daily across the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon.
Al-Sharaa led armed Syrian opposition fighters in December of last year to topple al-Assad and end the country’s civil war, which started as an uprising against the former Syrian president in 2011.
Al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president ever to visit the White House. Trump had met with him in May during a trip to Saudi Arabia, when the US president announced his intention to lift sanctions against Damascus.
‘Chance at greatness’
The new sanctions relief on Monday suspends Caesar Act sanctions, which prohibited US business dealings with the Syrian government and military, for six additional months.
Syria advocates are lobbying the US Congress to permanently repeal the law that enshrined the sanctions.
“Removing US sanctions will support Syria’s efforts to rebuild its economy, provide prosperity for all its citizens, including its ethnic and religious minorities, and combat terrorism,” the US Treasury Department said in a statement.
It added that Trump is “delivering on his commitment to give Syria ‘a chance at greatness’ and to let them rebuild and thrive by lifting US sanctions and ensuring accountability for harmful actors”.
Several media reports in the US and Syria had suggested that Damascus would also join the US-led international military coalition against the armed group ISIL (ISIS).
Such a move could pave the way for the withdrawal of US troops from the country.
Al-Sharaa, 43, was captured by US forces in Iraq during Washington’s occupation of the country, and he led al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria.
Less than a year ago, the US designated him as a “global terrorist” and had a $10m reward for information leading to his arrest.
But the Syrian president had split from al-Qaeda in 2016.
Since ousting al-Assad, al-Sharaa has further reinvented his image, dropping his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani, for his birth name and promoting a tolerant and inclusive Syria.
The Syrian president addressed the United Nations General Assembly earlier this year, saying that his country is “reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world”.
Under his leadership, the US and European countries have slowly welcomed Syria back into the international fold after decades of hostility with the country’s former regime.
Still, al-Sharaa received a muted welcome at the White House on Monday. He entered the White House through a side door and was not greeted by Trump outside.
And there was no photo opportunity in front of the press or joint news conference between the two leaders.
Syrian president meets Mast
Al-Sharaa had met with Congressman Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and one of the most staunchly pro-Israel politicians in the country, late on Sunday.
“Last evening, the new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and I broke bread. We had a long and serious conversation about how to build a future for the people of Syria free of war, ISIS, and extremism,” Mast, who previously wore an Israeli army uniform to Congress and argued that there are no innocent Palestinian civilians, said in a statement.
The Republican congressman is reported to be sceptical of the push to lift sanctions against Syria.
Since the fall of al-Assad, Israel has been regularly bombing Syrian military installations and state institutions. The Israeli military has also been advancing in the south of the country, well beyond the occupied Golan Heights.
Al-Sharaa had said early on that Syria would not pose a threat to Israel, and his government has detained senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members in the country.
But the proverbial olive branch has not stemmed the Israeli attacks.
Al-Sharaa has said that his country is seeking a security agreement with Israel to secure the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the areas they occupied over the past year.
On Monday, Trump told reporters he was working with Israel on “getting along with Syria”.
“You can expect some announcements on Syria,” he said when asked about the possibility of an agreement between Syria and Israel.
