U.S. President Donald Trump will host Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa for talks on Nov. 10. It’s the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House.
Al-Sharaa is expected to sign an agreement to join the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack told Axios.
The Trump administration backs repealing the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria as part of the National Defense Authorization Act currently under debate in Congress, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Friday.
The spokesperson emphasized that Washington remains in close contact with regional partners and “welcomes any investment or engagement in Syria that advances the prospect of a peaceful and prosperous future for all Syrians.”
The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, enacted against then-President Bashar Assad’s rule, imposed sweeping sanctions on individuals, companies and institutions tied to his regime.
Assad’s government was toppled last year by rebel forces led by current interim leader al-Sharaa, whose administration has sought to normalize relations with the West and rebuild the war-torn country.
On Sept. 18, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani arrived in Washington, marking the first official visit by a Syrian official at that level to the U.S. in 25 years. He met with lawmakers to discuss the lifting of remaining U.S. sanctions on his country, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Axios.
On May 13, Trump met with al-Sharaa in Riyadh ahead of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit.
The meeting marked the first direct encounter between American and Syrian leaders in a quarter century.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan joined the 33-minute conversation via video call, alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump encouraged al-Sharaa to sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel, expel all foreign terrorists from Syria, deport Palestinian terrorists, assist the United States in preventing an ISIS resurgence and take full responsibility for ISIS detention centers in northeast Syria.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One following the talks, Trump said: “I think they have to get themselves straightened up. I told him [al-Sharaa], ‘I hope you’re going to join when it’s straightened out.’ He said, ‘Yes.’ But they have a lot of work to do.”
Al-Sharaa, aka Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, formerly had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, one that the Trump administration has scrapped. The Syrian leader thanked the leaders for facilitating the meeting and acknowledged the strategic opportunity created by Iran’s retreat from his country.
He affirmed Syria’s commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, expressed support for U.S.-Syrian cooperation against terrorism and chemical weapons, and invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas. He also proposed turning Syria into a trade corridor between East and West.
Following the trilateral discussions, Trump said the United States is “looking at normalization with Syria,” signaling a possible shift in decades of U.S. policy toward the country. The American president also discussed economic incentives offered by al-Sharaa, including opening Syrian oil fields to American companies and proposing a Trump Tower in Damascus to encourage U.S. investment in post-war reconstruction.
Jerusalem views the normalization push with deep concern, citing al-Sharaa’s past and the potential legitimization of a figure long tied to terrorism. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar previously called the new Syrian government “jihadists in suits.”
