President Donald Trump says Washington is considering normalizing relations with Damascus after Washington met Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in his first encounter with leaders from both countries in 25 years.
Trump made the announcement Wednesday at a meeting with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
“With the support of the great leaders of this room, we are now exploring normalising relations with the new Syrian government,” Trump confirmed a brief meeting with Alshara.
A “suspension of sanctions” will give Syria a “new start,” Trump said.
“We will remove all sanctions.”
Trump once pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and met Al-Sharaa, head of a group of opposition fighters and seized power in Syria before a summit between the US and Arab countries.
Photos posted to Saudi Arabian provincial media showed him shaking hands in front of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also known as MBS).
Turkish Anadolu News Agency reported that Turkish President Recept Tayp Erdogan has effectively joined Trump and MBS at the meeting, effectively joining the meeting.
In a statement, the White House said during the meeting that Trump asked Alshara to deport Palestinians, known as “terrorists,” “Abraham’s cooperation with Israel,” and “assuming responsibility for ISIS detention centres in northeastern Syria.”
On Tuesday night, Trump announced he had lifted sanctions against a war-covered country and was garnering praise from Arab leaders and celebrations on Syrian streets.
Trump’s pledge to lift sanctions could be a major turning point for a country that is still adapting to life after more than 50 years of iron-holding rules by the Al Assad family.
Bashar al-Assad fell in December after a lightning strike by opposition rebels led by Al-Shara’s army.
Reported from Riyadh, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbara said he saw all sanctions and his meeting with Al Shalla as a significant development.
“This is a massive breakthrough and gives new Syrian authorities more legitimacy internationally,” our correspondent said.
He said Trump’s decision would also likely open up a way for the GCC to provide more financial aid to Syrian authorities.
Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from Damascus, said the 33-minute meeting between Trump and Al Shalla was a major diplomatic breakthrough.
“For the first time in 25 years, the President of Syria has met the US president. That in itself is very historic.”
Although US-Syria relations are “highest ever,” our correspondent said it was “very, very difficult” to agree to sign on to Trump’s Islaham collaboration with Syria.
Trump continues his trip
Speaking to Gulf leaders on Wednesday, Trump also said he hopes the country will “do business” with Iran, which will hinder the development of nuclear weapons, but insisted that Iran must stop supporting a network of armed groups across the region.
In talks before the Gulf Cooperation Council, Trump said Iran “must stop terrifying sponsorships, stop bloody proxy wars, and stop permanent and validate its pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
Foreign Minister Abbas Araguchi, who is also a leading negotiator for a potential nuclear deal with the United States, has denounced Trump’s remarks as a “very deceived perspective.”
“What he said about the hopes of the regional nation for a progressive and prosperous path is the same path that the people of Iran have decided through their revolution,” Araguchi said.
“It has hampered the Iranian state’s progress through sanctions for over 40 years has hampered that pressure, military and non-military threat,” he added.
Iran’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that it will hold new talks with European powers later this week on Iran’s efforts to limit Iran’s ability to build nuclear weapons. The talks will take place in Istanbul, the capital of Torkier, with the “E3” countries of the UK, France and Germany.
Later on Wednesday, Trump traveled to Qatar’s capital Doha, where a national visit with Emil Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani was underway.
Qatar, a key US ally, is set to announce its investment in the US hundreds of millions of dollars during its visit.
According to Reuters, the exact details of the investment Qatar announced were unknown, but Qatar Airways was expected to announce a deal to purchase around 100 widebody jets from Boeing.
Trump’s first two days of four-day swing in the Gulf region are characterized by gorgeous rituals and business transactions, including a $600 million commitment from Saudi Arabia, a $142 billion commitment to investment in the US and a US arms sales to the kingdom.
After a visit to Qatar, Trump flies to Abu Dhabi and meets the leaders of the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
He will then return to Washington on Friday, but said he could fly to Turkiye instead, due to a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Voldimir Zelensky in an effort to halt the war in Ukraine.
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