Interim Syrian President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa arrived in the United States on Saturday (November 8) on an official visit, according to what the Syrian News Agency reported, one day after his name was removed from the American terrorist list.
Al-Shara, whose rebel forces ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump on Monday.
The American envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said that during this historic visit, the regime in Damascus is expected to sign an agreement to join the international anti-jihadist coalition led by the United States.
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Shortly after Assad was ousted in December 2024, the United States suspended the $10 million reward it had offered for Sharaa’s capture.
Al-Sharaa previously met with Trump in Riyadh, on the sidelines of a summit in Saudi Arabia, during the US President’s visit to the region last May.
Al-Sharaa was also in New York in September and was the first Syrian president to address the UN General Assembly in decades.
Interests on both sides
A diplomatic source in Syria told AFP that the United States intends to establish a military base near Damascus.
Syria, which emerged from a civil war that lasted more than 13 years, is seeking to secure the funds necessary for its reconstruction, a project whose cost may exceed $216 billion, according to the World Bank.
End of international sanctions
The Trump administration’s decision to remove Sharaa from the terrorist list was widely expected. The US State Department said that the Sharaa government adhered to US demands, including cooperation in the search for missing American citizens and the elimination of any remaining chemical weapons in the country.
On Thursday, the United States led a vote in the Security Council to lift UN sanctions on Shara, which until then required him to obtain UN permission for each of his international trips.
The resolution, prepared by the United States, welcomes the commitment of Al-Sharaa, who a year ago led Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham, the former Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, to combat terrorism. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham was removed from Washington’s list of terrorist organizations in July.
Since taking power, Syria’s new leaders have sought to break away from its extremist and violent past and project a more moderate image acceptable to the Syrian people and foreign powers.
Al-Sharaa, as leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and at the head of a coalition of rebels, ousted Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024.
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