Syrian president Sharaa expected to visit Washington, US envoy says
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BEIRUT: Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa is expected to visit Washington within the next two weeks, US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said on Saturday (Nov 1), in what would mark the first visit by a Syrian head of state to the American capital.
Barrack told reporters on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue security forum in Bahrain that the US hopes the visit will pave the way for Syria to join the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group.
A Syrian source familiar with the plans confirmed the upcoming trip and said Washington is urging Damascus and Israel to finalise a de-escalation deal before the visit.
US PUSHES FOR NEW ALLIANCE
“We are trying to get everybody to be a partner in this alliance, which is huge for them,” Barrack said.
Since taking power from Bashar al-Assad last December, Sharaa has sought to restore Syria’s ties with major powers after years of isolation under Assad. He addressed the UN General Assembly in New York in September as part of his effort to project a new diplomatic image.
The US-led coalition first formed in 2014 to combat Islamic State, which once controlled nearly a third of Syria and Iraq before being defeated in 2019. Barrack said Syria’s participation could help prevent a resurgence of the militant group, which has tried to exploit the political vacuum following Assad’s fall.
Sharaa, who once led a rebel faction linked to Al-Qaeda before breaking with the network, has since positioned himself as a nationalist leader opposed to extremist groups.
SYRIA-ISRAEL TALKS NEAR DEAL
Barrack also said Syria and Israel are close to reaching a US-mediated de-escalation agreement, which would halt Israeli airstrikes and lead to a withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Syria.
While Washington declined to comment on the timing, the Syrian source said the US wants the security accord signed before Sharaa’s visit.
Despite decades of hostility and lingering territorial disputes, Sharaa’s potential Washington visit could mark a major shift in Middle East diplomacy, signalling both Syria’s re-emergence on the global stage and renewed US efforts to stabilise the region.
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