Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (10 November) caps a stunning year for the rebel-turned-ruler who toppled a long-time autocratic leader and has since toured the world as he seeks to end Syria's international isolation.
Trump is set to welcome Sharaa in the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House, six months after the pair first met in Saudi Arabia and just days after Washington said the former al Qaeda member was no longer a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist."
Sharaa, 42, took power last year after his Islamist fighters launched a lightning offensive from their enclave in Syria's northwest and overthrew longtime Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assad just days later on 8 December.
Syria's regional realignment has since moved at a dizzying pace, away from Assad's key allies Iran and Russia and toward Turkey, the Gulf - and Washington.
Security is likely to be a top focus of the meeting on Monday.
The U.S. is brokering talks between Syria and Israel on a possible security pact, and Reuters reported that the U.S. is planning to establish a military presence at a Damascus airbase.
Syria is also set to join a U.S.-led coalition to fight Islamic State, which could be formally announced at Monday's White House meeting.
Last sanctions hurdle
Days before the meeting, Trump told reporters at the White House that "a lot of progress has been made" on Syria.
"I think he's (al-Sharaa's) doing a very good job. It's a tough neighbourhood, and he's a tough guy, but I got along with him very well," Trump said.
After al-Sharaa and Trump met in Riyadh in May, Trump announced he would lift all sanctions on Syria.
But the toughest measures, known as the Caesar Sanctions Act, require a repeal from Congress. The White House and State Department have publicly backed lifting them before 2025 ends, but experts say the government shutdown may affect that time frame.
Sharaa is expected to strongly advocate for a repeal, which will help spur global investment in a country ravaged by 14 years of war and which the World Bank estimates will take more than $200 billion to rebuild.
Syria's social fabric has been more recently tested. New bouts of sectarian violence left more than 2,500 dead since Assad's fall, deepening civil war wounds and putting into question the new rulers' ability to govern for all Syrians.
Dramatic shifts
Al-Sharaa's own turnaround is no less impressive than his country's. He joined al Qaeda in Iraq around the time of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and spent years in U.S. prison there, before returning to Syria to join the insurgency against Assad.
In 2013, the U.S. designated al-Sharaa, then known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani, as a terrorist for his ties to al Qaeda. He broke ties with the group in 2016 and consolidated his influence in Syria's northwest.
The U.S. removed a $10 million bounty on al-Sharaa's head in December, and just last week, the United Nations Security Council lifted terror-related sanctions designations on him and his Interior Minister Anas Khattab.
Following the U.N. move, Britain and the U.S. lifted sanctions on the pair. In Washington, that included removing "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" designations on them.
"Al-Sharaa's visit to Washington is emblematic of the dramatic shift underway, where Syria went from being an Iranian satrapy to joining the American-led camp, and al-Sharaa himself transformed from a wanted terrorist to a partner in the war on terror," said Firas Maksad, managing director for Middle East and North Africa at the New York-based Eurasia Group.
"Much can still go wrong in this nascent experiment, and there remain grave concerns about minority and individual rights," Maksad said, "but the first ever visit by a Syrian president to Washington is a moment of hope that Syria is on the right track."
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 22th of December, covering the latest developments you need to...
ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Malaysia are seeking to revive a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia after two weeks of deadly border clashes t...
The remaining 130 Nigerian schoolchildren abducted in November from a Catholic school in Niger state have been released, President Bola Tinubu's spoke...
Director James Cameron has shared the key reasons behind the global success of Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in one of the highest-gross...
As pollution levels in New Delhi reached dangerously high levels over the weekend, residents of the Indian capital sought refuge in the cooler, cleane...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 22th of December, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The European Union stands at a crossroads: to receive new members and accelerate the enlargement process in order to strengthen its role in the international arena, or to risk strategic stagnation by delaying expansion in favor of internal reform.
The remaining 130 Nigerian schoolchildren abducted in November from a Catholic school in Niger state have been released, President Bola Tinubu's spokesperson said on Sunday, following one of the country's biggest mass kidnappings of recent years.
Israel’s government has approved the creation of 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that analysts say further undermines the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.
The death toll from Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has risen to 161, after forensic analysis confirmed one more victim among the charred remains at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, more than three weeks after the blaze began, authorities said on Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet President Donald Trump on 29 December in Florida, where he is expected to present a package of military options regarding Iran, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported on Saturday.
The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, officials told on Sunday, in what would be the second such operation this weekend and the third in less than two weeks if successful.
A major power outage swept across San Francisco on Saturday, leaving up to 130,000 customers without electricity, disrupting traffic and forcing some businesses to close temporarily, officials said.
The United States has proposed a potential new format for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, which could include American and European representatives, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday, December 20.
ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Malaysia are seeking to revive a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia after two weeks of deadly border clashes that have killed at least 60 people and forced more than half a million from their homes.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 22th of December, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The remaining 130 Nigerian schoolchildren abducted in November from a Catholic school in Niger state have been released, President Bola Tinubu's spokesperson said on Sunday, following one of the country's biggest mass kidnappings of recent years.
As pollution levels in New Delhi reached dangerously high levels over the weekend, residents of the Indian capital sought refuge in the cooler, cleaner air of northern India's hill towns.
Ukrainian negotiators are scheduled to hold another round of talks with U.S. officials on Sunday to discuss efforts to end the ongoing war with Russia. Top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov expressed hope for progress, highlighting that discussions have been both "constructive and substantive."
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment