US President Donald Trump on Wednesday had tea with a former jihadist who until recently had a $10 million US bounty on his head. <\/p>\n
Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, once known by his militant nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, met Trump in Riyadh six months after leading a swift campaign that toppled the half-a-century-old Assad regime, ejecting Iran-backed armed groups and declaring himself leader of the country. <\/p>\n
Al Sharaa was placed on the US Specially Designated Global Terrorist list in 2013 for heading al Qaeda\u2019s affiliate in Syria, known as Al Nusra Front, and allegedly orchestrating suicide bombings across Syria. The Saudi-born former jihadist had spent years fighting US forces in Iraq before moving to Syria to lead an armed Islamist rebellion that ousted the brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad. <\/p>\n
The meeting, described by Syria as \u201chistoric,\u201d was the first between a US and Syrian president in 25 years, taking place during Trump Middle East tour, the first set of state visits of his second term. <\/p>\n
Both leaders were seen smiling in photos released by the White House and the Saudi foreign ministry. The Syrian foreign ministry said Trump committed to \u201cstanding by Syria at this critical juncture.\u201d <\/p>\n
A day earlier, Trump announced the removal of decades-old sanctions on Syria, a move that prompted a 40-second-long applause from the audience, including a standing ovation from the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. <\/p>\n
\u201cOh, what I do for the Crown Prince,\u201d Trump told the room on Tuesday, crediting the de facto Saudi leader for leading the effort to lift what the president called \u201cbrutal and crippling\u201d sanctions. Syria has been designated by the US as a State Sponsor of Terrorism since December 1979. <\/p>\n
Syria\u2019s economy has been crippled for years by Western sanctions. Among the harshest is the US\u2019 2019 Caesar Act, which imposed wide-ranging sanctions that restricted individuals, companies or governments from economic activities assisting Assad\u2019s war effort. The act rendered the entire economy untouchable. According to the World Bank, the country\u2019s economy shrank by more than half between 2010 and 2020. <\/p>\n
As of 2022, poverty was affecting 69% of Syria\u2019s population, according to the World Bank. Extreme poverty affected more than one in four Syrians in 2022, the bank said, adding that this number likely deteriorated after a devastating earthquake in February 2023. <\/p>\n
Gulf states have been keen to invest in Syria and prop up its economy but have been wary of violating US sanctions. Trump\u2019s move is likely to remove such barriers, making way for potentially billions of dollars in investments. <\/p>\n
During the meeting, Trump proposed that Sharaa take a series of measures, including normalization with Israel, expelling foreign and Palestinian \u201cterrorists,\u201d and helping the US to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, according to the White House. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that he (Trump) did it so publicly and from Riyadh I think is a sort of tacit approval for those who are looking to invest in Syria potentially as well,\u201d Natasha Hall of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said. \u201c(It) means that he is giving wins to Mohammed bin Salman.\u201d <\/p>\n
Fireworks lit up the skies in some of Syria\u2019s biggest cities after Trump announced the lifting of sanctions. Billboards were erected thanking Trump and Prince Mohammed. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how life would be without sanctions,\u201d said Ranim Sakhal, who said she has lived under sanctions since she was born in the 1970s. \u201cThe country has been suffocating.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are optimistic and our dream is for Arab countries to help, which is something we haven\u2019t seen for years because of Bashar\u2019s rivalry with Arab leaders,\u201d Sakhal added. <\/p>\n
Syria\u2019s currency, the Lira, rose by as much as 27% against the US dollar following the announcement. The country\u2019s economy and trade minister, Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar, shed tears live on air with Saudi outlet Al Arabiya, as he underscored that Syria is \u201cnow entering a new phase.\u201d <\/p>\n
But the optimism is not universal. The lifting of sanctions would go far in giving legitimacy to Sharaa\u2019s new regime, and some in Syria are concerned about how minorities will be treated by the former jihadists. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe face a number of extremist groups that restrict freedoms,\u201d he said. \u201cIf a guy and a girl are seen together in public, the guy could be detained and just disappear. Men can be beaten for wearing shorts\u2026 it\u2019s an extreme infringement on personal freedoms.\u201d <\/p>\n
In March, armed men loyal to the new Syrian regime carried out field executions and spoke of purifying the country after a crackdown against remnants of the former Assad regime spiraled into communal killings against the Alawite minority. The United Nations said at the time that entire families, including women and children, were killed during the violence. <\/p>\n
For decades, Gulf Arab states were left out of Syria as their rival Iran expanded its influence in the country through its alliance with the Assad regime. <\/p>\n
A decade-long civil war in Syria severely strained relations between Damascus and most Arab states, eventually culminating in Syria\u2019s expulsion from the Arab League. Over the past few years, Gulf states began mending fences with the Assad regime and were leading the effort to rehabilitate him until he was abruptly ousted from power in December. Since then, Saudi Arabia and Qatar doubled down on getting the new regime re-integrated into the international community. <\/p>\n
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan announced on Wednesday that Riyadh will be at the \u201cforefront\u201d of Syria\u2019s economic revival. Its efforts could allow it to become a significant player in the country and expand its influence there for the first time. <\/p>\n
\u201cSyria will not be alone. Saudi Arabia\u2026 will be at the forefront of the supporters to that economic awakening\u2026 (Syria) needs a push, and it will receive that push from its brothers in the region,\u201d bin Farhan said at a news conference on Wednesday. <\/p>\n
Hasan Alhasan, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Saudi Arabia has \u201cgeostrategic interests in the Middle East\u201d that can be achieved through support for the current Syrian regime. <\/p>\n
\u201cSaudi Arabia wants Syria to be stable, it recognizes that the only way in which you can get to a stable Syria is by providing the current administration with the economic resources and tools to deliver a so-called victory,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
During the Biden administration, the US and Saudi Arabia were close to reaching a comprehensive security and economic agreement that would have led to the normalization of relations between the kingdom and Israel. <\/p>\n
Despite Trump\u2019s desire for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel, no such normalization materialized during his visit to Riyadh. Instead, the president said he would establish ties with Sharaa, a move that defied Israel, which has repeatedly bombed Syria and seized more of its territory since the fall of Assad. <\/p>\n
Netanyahu had taken an aggressive stance with Sharaa and his new government. In the days that followed Assad\u2019s ouster, he ordered an unprecedented ground push into Syria, driving Israeli forces deeper into the country than ever before and upending Israel\u2019s 50-year tacit d\u00e9tente with the Assads. <\/p>\n
The escalation quickly abandoned Netanyahu\u2019s initial pledge to practice \u201cgood neighborliness\u201d to the new Syria. Hundreds of airstrikes targeted the remnants of Assad\u2019s weaponry, particularly its chemical weapons, to prevent them from falling into the hands of militant groups, and Israeli forces seized Mount Hermon, Syria\u2019s highest peak, and a strategically vital position overlooking Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe toppled the Assad regime, which essentially was used as the land link between Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon,\u201d Netanyahu said in a video statement last week. <\/p>\n
After meeting Sharaa on Wednesday, Trump heaped praise on him, calling him a \u201cgreat young attractive guy,\u201d with a \u201cvery strong past\u201d who is \u201ca fighter.\u201d The new Syrian President, he said, has \u201cgot a real shot at pulling it together.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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