RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that sanctions on Syria will be reduced, aiming to normalize ties with the new government and provide the nation with an “opportunity for peace.”
Trump’s declaration came just before his scheduled meeting in Saudi Arabia with Syrian President Ahmad Alshara, the former rebel leader responsible for the ousting of long-time leader Bashar Assad last year. He indicated that these reconciliation efforts are meant to encourage Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan.
“We have a new government that hopefully succeeds,” Trump remarked about Syria, adding, “Good luck, Syria. Show me something special.”
This announcement significantly supports the Syrian president, who had previously been imprisoned in Iraq for his involvement in the rebellion following the US-led invasion in 2003. Alshara was appointed Syrian president in January after Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) captured Damascus, ending the 54-year rule of the Assad family.
Since assuming office in December, the US has been assessing how to engage with Alshara. Gulf leaders are rallying behind the new Damascus administration, hoping Trump will also endorse it, believing it serves as a bulwark against Assad’s resurgence in a region where they previously supported his government during a decade of civil war.
The then-president Joe Biden left the decision regarding recognition of the new Syrian government to Trump, who has yet to officially acknowledge it. Sanctions against Damascus under Assad remain in place.
Before Trump’s remarks, the White House indicated he had “agreed to greet” the Syrian president during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
This shift in tone is striking, particularly as Trump had previously been at odds with Israel, a long-time US ally that has expressed concerns about Alshara’s militant past and cautioned against rapidly recognizing the new regime.
Formerly known as Abu Mohamed Al Golani, Alshara was once part of al-Qaeda rebels battling US troops in Iraq after the invasion and holds an arrest warrant on terrorist charges in Iraq. The US had once offered a $10 million bounty for information leading to his capture due to his al-Qaeda ties.
Following the onset of the conflict in 2011, Alshara returned to Syria and took command of the al-Qaeda faction known as the Nusra Front, later rebranding it as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and severing ties with al-Qaeda.
He is expected to be the first Syrian leader to meet a US president since Hafez Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.
Syria has had historical ties with Washington dating back to the Cold War when it was closely allied with the Soviet Union and served as Iran’s closest ally in the Arab world. The potential removal of the Assad family could reshape these dynamics.
Ibrahim Hamidi, a Syrian analyst based in London, noted that Trump’s planned meeting with Alshara signifies a “strategic change” for the country.
“The Syrian-American conference in Riyadh paves the way for both parties to begin discussing their differences in a constructive environment,” remarked Hamidi, editor-in-chief of Al Majara, an Arab magazine. “This is crucial.”
Source: apnews.com