Trump says US will remove sanctions on Syria

Saudi Arabia, as Trump’s host on the first stop of his regional tour, alongside Qatar and Turkey, both supporters of the new Syrian administration, had been pushing hard for the meeting between Sharaa and the US president.

By Reuters and The Algemeiner

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would remove all sanctions against Syria, saying they had served an important function, but it was now time for Syria to move forward.

“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump told an investment forum in Riyadh.

“It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off,” Trump said/ “Good luck Syria, show us something very special.”

Trump has also agreed to say hello to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, a White House official said, during the US president’s regional tour that began with a stop in Riyadh.

There were no immediate details about the format of any exchange between Sharaa and Trump, but any meeting will mark a dramatic turnaround for the Syrian president, a former rebel leader who swept to power last year at the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

This group is linked to al Qaeda and designated a terrorist organization by Washington.

Saudi Arabia, as Trump’s host on the first stop of his regional tour, alongside Qatar and Turkey, both supporters of the new Syrian administration, had been pushing hard for the meeting between Sharaa and the US president, at least four sources had previously told Reuters.

But several sources had said they were cautious about whether it would proceed as they await Trump’s nod of approval.

Sharaa has won support from wealthy Gulf states and Syria’s northern neighbor Turkey as he rebuilds his nation shattered by more than a decade of conflict, but has made slower progress with the West, with only limited success in securing any easing of US sanctions.