Trump welcomes Syrian president to the White House

The US extended sanctions relief on Syria for a further six months as ­President Ahmed al-Sharaa continued his remarkable journey from terrorist to international statesman by meeting President Trump for talks at the White House.

Trump and Sharaa discussed Syria joining the US-led mission to defeat Islamic State (Isis) and eventually normalising relations with Israel in return for massive American investment and a permanent end to sanctions imposed under his predecessor, Bashar al-Assad.

The 43-year-old former al-Qaeda commander had a $10 million bounty on his head lifted last December after ousting Assad. The Trump administration led a UN security council vote to remove him and Anas Khattab, the ­Syrian interior minister, from its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists last week, ending a formal travel ban and personal asset freeze.

Anas Khattab, the ­Syrian interior minister, along with President Ahmed al-Sharaa, were removed from a list of global terrorists last week IZETTIN KASIM/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES

But sensitivities remain about Trump appearing with a man caught by US forces two decades ago planting an improvised explosive device for ­al-Qaeda and who spent five years in jails in Iraq. Unlike most national leaders he was ushered into the White House by a side entrance for a private Oval Office meeting.

Trump is keen to push Syria’s new leader towards the Abraham Accords, a normalisation agreement with Israel signed by five Arabic nations, but this would almost certainly mean Sharaa permanently ceding control over the occupied Golan Heights in the southwest of his country. After less than a year in office, he is prepared to talk about the future of the area but does not appear ready to commit to any territorial handover.

Asked about the meeting later, Trump said: “He’s a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place and he’s a tough guy. I like him. I get along with the president, the new president of Syria.”

He added: “We want to see Syria be successful along with the rest of the Middle East. So I have confidence that he’ll be able to do the job.”

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the visit was “part of the president’s efforts in diplomacy to meet with anyone around the world in the pursuit of peace”.

Trump recently said that Sharaa is “doing a very good job so far” and that a “lot of progress has been made with Syria” since the US eased sanctions after their first meeting in Saudi Arabia in May.

President Trump visited President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May SAUDI PRESS AGENCY/REUTERS

The US Treasury said on Monday that it had in part suspended the imposition of sanctions on Syria for 180 days under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, replacing a previous waiver from May.

Removing the 2019 package of sanctions against Syria was a key objective for the Syrian delegation in Washington. Trump temporarily waived them with an executive order in June but congressional support is required to ­revoke them permanently.

Brian Mast, the Republican chairman of the House foreign affairs committee, is refusing to endorse a “clean” repeal of the legislation, the news ­website Semafor reported. Other ­options, including reviewing the sanctions every six months, are under consideration on Capitol Hill.

• The Times view: Can Trump make a deal with retired jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa?

Sharaa’s White House visit was the first by a Syrian head of state since the country’s independence from French rule in 1946.

He arrived in Washington on Sunday and played basketball with senior US military commanders, part of a diplomatic charm offensive that began in January, when he became the interim Syrian president after his forces toppled the five-decades-long Assad ­regime. In May, Trump praised him as a “young, attractive guy … Tough guy. Very strong past. Fighter.”

Previously known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, Sharaa was held in various prisons, including the notorious Abu Ghraib, before being released in 2011 and returning to Syria where he helped start the al-Nusra Front to fight against Assad’s forces. He says he cut ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.

Sharaa was known as Abu Mohamad al-Jolani, the leader of al-Nusra Front HO/ORIENT NEWS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The meeting with Trump is expected to pave the way for Syria to join the US-led mission to defeat Isis, which has been signed by 88 states and was formed in 2014 after militants captured the Iraqi city of Mosul.

On Saturday the Syrian interior ministry said that it had carried out 61 raids and made 71 arrests in a “proactive campaign” to neutralise the threat of Isis where sleeper cells remain, according to the official Sana news agency.

Sharaa also hopes to encourage international leaders to contribute to the rebuilding of Syria after almost 14 years of civil war. The World Bank put a “conservative best estimate” of $216 billion on the cost, while Sharaa told CBS News last month that was likely to be between $600 and $900 billion. At the weekend Sharaa met the International Monetary Fund chief, Kristalina Georgieva, to discuss potential aid.

“The world watched this tragedy ­unfold for 14 years and couldn’t do anything to stop this massive crime,” Sharaa told CBS News. “So the world today should provide support to Syria.”

However, Sharaa, who has vowed to unite the country, has failed to prevent outbreaks of sectarian violence that have killed thousands since January, with some cases embroiling his own security forces.

Trump is also seeking to discuss Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords when Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince, visits the White House on Tuesday next week. However, Riyadh has signalled to Washington through diplomatic channels that it will sign up only if there is agreement on a road map to Palestinian statehood, Gulf sources told Reuters.