US President Donald Trump met with Syria’s president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, after a surprise US announcement it would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government, and said Washington was exploring the possibility of normalising ties with Damascus.
He made the comments during a summit between the United States and Gulf Arab countries. Trump met Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa before the summit. Photos posted on Saudi state television showed them shaking hands in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince.
Trump also urged Sharaa to normalise ties with Israel, a White House spokesperson said.
Despite concerns within sectors of his administration over Syria’s leaders’ former ties to Al Qaeda, Trump said on Tuesday during a speech in Riyadh that he would lift sanctions on Syria in a major policy shift.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan joined Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, virtually in the meeting, Turkey’s Anadolu News Agency reported.
MbS told the summit that Saudi Arabia commends Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria.
The lifting of sanctions came despite deep Israeli suspicion of Sharaa’s administration, worries initially shared by some US officials. Israeli officials have continued to describe Sharaa as a jihadist, though he severed ties with al Qaeda in 2016. Israel’s government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The decision is a major boost for Sharaa, who has been struggling to bring the country under the control of the Damascus government after toppling former President Bashar al-Assad in December.
