Syria’s interim president, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, arrived in the United States for an official visit this Saturday (8/11), a day after his name was removed from the US terrorist list, the country’s news agency reported.
Al-Shara, whose rebels ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump this Monday.
During this historic visit, the Damascus regime plans to sign an agreement to join the US-led international anti-jihadist coalition, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said.
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Immediately after Assad was ousted in December 2024, the US suspended the $10 million bounty it had offered for al-Sharaa’s arrest.
Al-Shallah had already met with President Trump in Riyadh on the sidelines of a summit in Saudi Arabia during the US president’s visit to the region in May.
Al-Shallah also visited New York in September, becoming the first Syrian president in decades to address the United Nations General Assembly.
mutual benefit
A Syrian diplomatic source told AFP news agency that the US plans to establish a military base near Damascus.
Syria is seeking to secure funding for reconstruction after more than 13 years of civil war, a project that could cost more than $216 billion, according to the World Bank.
End of international sanctions
The Trump administration’s decision to remove al-Shara from the terrorist list was widely expected. The State Department said al-Shara’s government is complying with U.S. demands, including cooperating in searches for missing Americans and removing chemical weapons remaining in the country.
On Thursday, the United States led a vote in the Security Council to lift U.N. sanctions on al-Shara, but until then he needed U.N. permission to travel abroad.
The U.S.-authored resolution welcomes the commitment of al-Sharah, who a year ago led al-Qaeda’s former Syrian branch, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, to fight terrorism. HTS was removed from Washington’s list of terrorist organizations in July.
Since taking power, Syria’s new leaders have sought to break away from their extremist and violent past and project a more moderate image that is acceptable to the Syrian people and foreign powers.
On December 8, 2024, al-Shara, as leader of HTS, spearheaded a coalition of rebels to overthrow Bashar al-Assad.
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