Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Shara arrived in Washington on an official visit. Recently, the U.S. offered a $10 million reward for his capture as a terrorist, and now President Donald Trump is receiving him at the White House as the Syrian leader here. What will they discuss?
Al-Shara's visit to Washington is indeed of historical significance — the Syrian president has never made an official visit to the U.S. before.
The last time a high-ranking Syrian official visited the White House was in December 1999. At that time, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara was participating in peace talks with Israel.
Over the next quarter-century, the country went through civil war, repression, and international isolation under Assad's rule, leading up to the regime's collapse. Following the capture of Damascus by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (banned as a terrorist organization in Russia) and Assad's flight to Moscow, Syria's interim leader and HTS head Ahmad al-Shara has been working to restore relations with countries that had severed ties with Damascus for years.
Ahead of al-Shara's official visit to Washington, the UN Security Council removed him and the country's interior minister, Anas Khattab, from the sanctions list. Al-Shara had been under UN sanctions since 2014 as a member of HTS, al-Qaeda's wing in Syria (designated as a terrorist organization in Russia).
"The adoption of this document sends a strong political signal that the Council recognizes that Syria is entering a new era," said U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Wals after the vote.
According to Reuters, Washington had been urging the 15 members of the Security Council for several months to lift sanctions against al-Shara. The relevant resolution was drafted by American diplomats and put to a vote. In December, the U.S. rescinded the offer of a $10 million reward for help in apprehending al-Shara.
