Trump Meets Syrian President—Says Dropping Sanctions Would ‘Give Them A Chance’
by Siladitya Ray · ForbesTopline
President Donald Trump met Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, a day after announcing plans to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, offering a significant boost to the country’s new leadership as it attempts to shore up international support following a brutal civil war that ended with the ouster of the country’s former leader Bashar al-Assad.
Key Facts
According to the Washington Post, a White House official confirmed the meeting was taking place in Riyadh behind closed doors.
The White House previously suggested the two leaders were set to have a brief meeting just to “say hello,” but the actual meeting lasted 33 minutes, from 10:07 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. local time.
Turkish outlets reported that Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, was present at the meeting, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined via video link.
Erdogan’s office hailed Trump’s “historic” decision to lift the sanctions, and said it would serve as an example for other countries that still have active sanctions against Syria.
After the meeting, Trump addressed the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and said he “felt very strongly” that dropping the “really crippling” sanctions would giving Syria a chance.
What Did Trump Say About Dropping Syrian Sanctions?
While addressing the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the regional bloc that includes Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, Trump said: “We will be dropping all of the sanctions on Syria, which I really think is going to be a good thing. And actually, we made a speech last night, and that was the thing that got the biggest applause from the room.”
What Do We Know About Syrian Leader Ahmad Al-Shara?
Ahmad al-Shara, previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, took over the Syrian presidency in January. In December, he emerged as the leader of the rebel-led offensive that toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime after a nearly 15-year civil war. Al-Shara and his group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, were both previously affiliated with al-Qaida. At the start of the Syrian civil war, al-Shara led the Nusra Front, which was a direct affiliate of al-Qaida and was initially allied with former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Al-Shara’s forces eventually fought against ISIS after al-Baghdadi severed ties with al-Qaida. In 2016, al-Shara renamed the Nusra Front to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Syria Conquest Front) and cut all ties with al-Qaida. The rebrand was an effort to send out a message that his group was only focused on Syria and did not have any broad international goals like al-Qaida and ISIS. Since Assad’s ouster, al-Shara has attempted to present a more moderate image, insisting that his group does not want to discriminate against any religious or ethnic groups. Despite this, tensions have continued in Syria, especially since March, when pro-Assad groups attacked the new Syrian government’s forces. This resulted in revenge attacks against Syria’s Alawite minority group, which had received privileged status under Assad’s rule as his family were also Alawites.