Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday in a historic meeting, just days after the United States removed him from its terrorism blacklist.
Sharaa, whose forces ousted long-time president Bashar al-Assad late last year, will become the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since Syria’s independence in 1946.
Once associated with Al-Qaeda, Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was itself delisted as a terrorist organisation by the US in July. Since taking power, Syria’s new leadership has made efforts to distance itself from its violent past and present a more moderate image, both domestically and internationally.
The visit to the White House marks “a hugely symbolic moment for the country’s new leader, who is taking another step in his extraordinary transformation from militant leader to global statesman,” said Michael Hanna, the US programme director at the International Crisis Group.
Sharaa previously met President Trump in May during the US leader’s regional tour of Saudi Arabia. Following his arrival in Washington, Sharaa met with International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva over the weekend to discuss potential aid for war-ravaged Syria, as well as with representatives from Syrian organisations.
Washington’s special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, indicated earlier this month that Sharaa may sign an agreement on Monday to join the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group. Additionally, the United States plans to establish a military base near Damascus to coordinate humanitarian aid and monitor developments between Syria and Israel, according to a diplomatic source in Syria.
US Removes Sharaa from Terrorism Blacklist
The US State Department’s decision on Friday to remove Sharaa from its terrorism blacklist had been widely anticipated. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated that Sharaa’s government had met US demands, including efforts to find missing Americans and eliminate any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles.
“These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” Pigott explained.
Sharaa’s visit to Washington follows a series of diplomatic milestones. In September, he attended the United Nations for the first time, becoming the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN General Assembly. The previous week, the US led a vote at the Security Council to lift UN sanctions against Sharaa.
Crackdown on IS and Reconstruction Efforts
In a further sign of his commitment to reform, the Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that it had carried out 61 raids and arrested 71 individuals in an operation aimed at neutralising the threat of IS cells. The raids targeted areas where IS sleeper cells remain active, including Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Homs, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Damascus, according to the official SANA news agency.
Sharaa’s visit also coincides with Syria’s urgent need for financial assistance to rebuild the country, which has been devastated by 13 years of civil war. In October, the World Bank estimated the cost of rebuilding Syria at a “conservative best estimate” of $216 billion.
As Sharaa seeks US support for Syria’s reconstruction, his visit marks a significant shift in the country’s diplomatic approach, potentially signalling a new chapter in its relationship with the West after years of conflict and isolation.