The president of the United States met with Syria president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday (14) and asked him to normalize ties with long-standing enemy Israel after a surprising US announcement that he will suspend all sanctions against the Islamist-led government.
Trump met Syria’s Ahmed Al-Sharaa before a summit between the United States and the Gulf Arab countries. Photos published on Saudi state television showed the two squeezing their hands in the presence of the heir prince of Saudi Arabia, also known as MBS.
The Turkish President, joined Trump and MBS virtually at the meeting, the news agency said Anadolu From Türkiye.
Trump exhorted Saudi Arabia to join the United Arab Emirates, Barein and Morocco, who normalized Israeli’s relations under the US mediated agreements in 2020, published the White House Press Office at X.
The United States also expect Saudi Arabia to join Abraham’s agreements. Discussions on the subject were interrupted after the outbreak of Gaza’s war and the kingdom insists that there can be no normalization without the condition of Palestinian state.
Trump said on Tuesday (13) that Saudi Arabia will join the agreements in its own time.
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Despite the concerns of his government sectors with the old Syrian leaders with al Qaeda, Trump said on Tuesday during a speech in Riyadh that he would suspend sanctions against Syria in a major change in politics.
He also stated that Washington was evaluating the normalization of relations with the Syrian government, starting with his meeting with Sharaa.
Impulse for new Syrian leaders
The survey of sanctions occurred despite the deep Israeli suspicion regarding the Administration of Sharaa, concerns initially shared by some US authorities. Israeli authorities continue to describe Sharaa as a jihadist, although he cut ties with Al Qaeda in 2016. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office did not immediately respond to a commentary request.
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The decision is a great momentum for Sharaa, who has struggled to put the country under the control of the Damascus government after overthrowing former President Bashar Al-Assad in December.
The removal of US sanctions that are isolated Syria from the global financial system will pave the way for greater involvement of humanitarian organizations working in Syria, facilitating foreign investment and trade as the country reconstructs itself.
Israel, an ally of the US, opposed the relief of sanctions to Syria and intensified its military operations since Assad was knocked down, saying that it will not tolerate the Islamic presence in southern Syria.
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Israel took ground in the southwest of the country, warned the Syrian government against sending forces there and exploded most of the Syrian military’s heavy weapons and equipment in the days after the fall of Assad.
The challenges faced by the new Syrian government were also revealed in March, when Assad’s supporters attacked government forces, causing revenge attacks in which Islamic gunmen killed hundreds of civilians of the Alauite minority, which caused a strong US conviction.
Sharaa was for years the leader of Al Qaeda’s official wing in the Syrian conflict. He joined the group for the first time in Iraq, where he spent five years in a US prison. The United States took a reward of $ 10 million through Sharaa’s head in December.
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Syrian Foreign Minister said in a statement on Wednesday that the meeting between Trump and Sharaa included discussions on the fight against terrorism and cooperation to eliminate the influence of non-state actors and armed groups that threaten Syria’s stability.
