U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House this week.
The visit marked the first time a Syrian leader has come to Washington since the country gained independence from France in 1946.
During the meeting, Trump presented al-Sharaa with a bottle of perfume.
Donald Trump hosted Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House
Highlights
- Trump hosted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the first Syrian leader to visit since Syria's 1946 independence from France, at the White House.
- Trump gave al-Sharaa perfume, jokingly asking how many wives he has, highlighting a light moment during their meeting.
- Al-Sharaa, formerly a top al-Qaeda commander, was recently removed from the U.S. terrorist list and pledged to join anti-ISIS efforts.
Image credits: Syrian Presidency/Getty Images
As Trump handed it to him, he sprayed some on the Syrian leader and said it was “the best fragrance.”
Trump then added, “And the other one is for your wife,” Trump said, asking, “How many wives?”
Al-Sharaa replied, laughing awkwardly, “One.”
“With you guys, I never know,” Trump said.
The two leaders discussed a range of issues, including security, counterterrorism, and economic cooperation.
Al-Sharaa, who led a campaign that toppled former President Bashar al-Assad nearly a year ago, was identified as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” until last week.
He was a former al-Qaeda commander with a $10 million bounty on his head, which the U.S. removed in December, according to Al Jazeera.
Al-Sharaa has since worked to distance himself from his past as a militant. He told reporters that his association with al-Qaeda is behind him.
The White House confirmed that the U.S. would allow Syria to reopen its embassy in Washington, D.C.
Image credits: Syrian Presidency/Getty Images
The U.S. Treasury Department suspended the Caesar Act for 180 days, six years after the Syrian government was sanctioned under Assad’s regime. It prohibited U.S. business dealings with the Syrian government and military.
“Removing US sanctions will support Syria’s efforts to rebuild its economy, provide prosperity for all its citizens, including its ethnic and religious minorities, and combat terrorism,” the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.
However, only Congress can completely approve lifting the sanctions, Reuters reported.
Al-Sharaa has also pledged to join the U.S.-led coalition to combat the Islamic State in the Middle East.
“We were in a war with [the Islamic State] for 10 years, and we did that without coordination with a Western force or any other country,” Al-Sharaa told The Washington Post.
Image credits: Leigh Vogel/Getty Images
“The United States has three priorities for Syria,” Thomas Warrick, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, an American think tank, told Al Jazeera.
“One of them is a counterterrorism cooperation to make sure that the so-called Islamic State never comes back into power in Syria or Iraq.”
He continued, “Second is reducing Iran’s malign influence in Syrian affairs. And then third is improved relations between Syria and Israel, including eventually—although it won’t happen anytime soon—Syria joining the Abraham Accords.”
Trump praised al-Sharaa’s leadership during the meeting. “He comes from a very tough place, and he’s a tough guy. I like him,” Trump said.
The Syrian president was a former al-Qaeda leader and identified as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’
“We’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful, because that’s part of the Middle East. We have peace now in the Middle East—the first time that anyone can remember that ever happening.”
“And people said he’s had a rough past. We’ve all had rough pasts,” Trump said about al-Sharaa’s controversial past.
Israel has been regularly bombing Syrian state institutions since the fall of Assad. Al-Sharaa had said that Syria would not pose a threat to Israel, but Israel has not accepted the olive branch.
Trump told reporters on Monday that he was working with Israel on “getting along with Syria.”
“You can expect some announcements on Syria,” he said. “We want to see Syria become a country that’s very successful. And I think this leader can do it. I really do.”
Al-Sharaa also met with pro-Israel Congressman Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“Last evening, the new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and I broke bread. We had a long and serious conversation about how to build a future for the people of Syria free of war, ISIS, and extremism,” Mast said in a statement.
Al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington follows earlier meetings with Trump in Saudi Arabia and at the United Nations General Assembly.
Al-Sharaa was captured by U.S. forces in Iraq and imprisoned from 2006 to 2011. He later led al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria. In 2016, his group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, split from al-Qaeda.
Al-Sharaa received a muted welcome as he entered the White House through a side door. He was also not greeted by Trump outside, nor was there a photo opportunity in front of the press or a joint news conference.