Syrian President arrives in the US for a historic visit.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Washington on November 8th for a landmark official visit, a day after the U.S. removed him from its list of terrorist organizations. He is expected to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
According to the Syrian state news agency, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the forces that overthrew President Bashar al-Assad's regime late last year, is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump on November 10 (local time).
This is the first official visit by a Syrian president to the United States since the Middle Eastern nation gained independence in 1946. Prior to this, the two leaders had their first meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during Trump's regional tour in May.
This visit comes shortly after the US State Department decided on November 7 to remove Sharaa from the global terrorist list. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the decision was made to "recognize the progress" of the Syrian leadership after Bashar al-Assad left power.
Mr. Pigott asserted that Mr. Sharaa's administration had met Washington's demands, including cooperating in the search for missing American citizens and efforts to eliminate any remaining chemical weapons.
The spokesperson added that the U.S. decision would promote "regional security and stability as well as a comprehensive political process owned and controlled by the Syrian people."
This move follows a series of diplomatic steps. On November 6, Washington led a vote in the UN Security Council to lift the organization's sanctions against Sharaa. In July, his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which had links to Al-Qaeda, was also removed from the US list of terrorist organizations.
Sharaa himself was listed as a terrorist by the US in 2013 but announced he had severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016.
Sharaa's trip to Washington follows his landmark visit to the United Nations in New York in September. This was his first time in the U.S. and also the first time a Syrian president had addressed the UN General Assembly in decades.
Observers believe that one of Sharaa's main goals during his visit was to seek international funding for the country's reconstruction after 13 years of conflict. In October, the World Bank released its "most conservative estimate" of the cost of rebuilding Syria at $216 billion.
On the US side, Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said earlier this month that Sharaa "hopes" to sign an agreement for Syria to join the US-led international coalition against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).
Additionally, a diplomatic source in Syria revealed to AFP that the US plans to establish a military base near Damascus to "coordinate humanitarian aid and monitor developments between Syria and Israel."
