President Donald Trump asked Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to fully normalize relations with Israel in exchange for sanctions relief.
In a readout of the pivotal Wednesday meeting for Syria, Trump encouraged al-Sharaa to sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel, tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria, deport “Palestinian terrorists,” help the U.S. prevent the resurgence of ISIS and assume charge of ISIS detention centers in northeast Syria.
Some 10,000 ISIS fighters are imprisoned in the region, where the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, is charged with keeping them locked up.
The U.S. has about 1,400 troops stationed in Syria to fight ISIS.
Trump said Tuesday it was a “dream” for Saudi Arabia to join the accords, but predicted Riyadh would do so in its own time. The kingdom has long insisted it would not do so until there was a path for Palestinian statehood.
Trump announced Tuesday he would lift sanctions on Syria and meet with its new leader, who once had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head.
President Donald Trump, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pictured during their meeting. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS )
TRUMP SAYS HE’LL DROP SANCTIONS ON SYRIA IN MOVE TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS
“In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that we must all hope will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace,” he said. “So I say good luck, Syria.”
Al-Sharaa and his group known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham led Bashar al-Assad’s ouster last year. His group was founded as an al Qaeda offshoot, before separating from the terrorist group in 2016.
The breakthrough announcement came as Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, whose government leaders were widely expected to press Trump to release the sanctions to help Syria’s economy.
“There is a new government that will hopefully succeed,” Trump said of Syria. “I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS )
Syrians took to the streets to celebrate after President Donald Trump announced he would lift sanctions. (REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar)
TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST TOUR BEGINS WITH SYRIA LOOMING AS STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY
Trump said both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Erdoğan had encouraged him to lift the sanctions.
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“Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Trump quipped.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who said he was inclined to support sanctions relief, warned Israel is still “extremely concerned about the state of play in Syria.”
