Syrian transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa will meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, November 10.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said in her briefing on Tuesday, November 4, that President Trump will receive Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House next Monday.
“We have seen good progress toward peace under Syria’s new leadership,” she added.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, told the Syrian state-run al-Ikhbariyah channel that President al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House will be “an unprecedented event and a qualitative leap in the diplomatic context.”
This will be the third meeting between al-Sharaa and Trump, following one in Riyadh under the auspices of Prince Mohammed bin Salman on May 14, and another in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 25.
It is al-Sharaa’s second visit to the United States after traveling to New York to attend the 80th UN General Assembly.
According to remarks Barrack gave to Axios on October 1, this would be the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House since 1946, and another key step in rebuilding Syrian-U.S. relations.
During the visit, President al-Sharaa is expected to sign an agreement for Syria to join the U.S.-led international coalition against the Islamic State group.
Barrack also anticipated a fifth round of direct negotiations between Israel and Syria, mediated by the United States, after al-Sharaa visits Washington.
According to the U.S. envoy, Washington’s goal is to reach a border security agreement between the two countries by the end of 2025.
Sanctions relief
During his trip to New York, transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa repeatedly called for lifting sanctions imposed on Syria, both in media appearances and in his address to the 80th UN General Assembly, which convened on September 22.
In his September 24 speech, al-Sharaa said Syria had restored its international relations and established regional and global partnerships through “intensive” diplomacy that culminated in the gradual lifting of most sanctions on Syria.
He called for a full lifting of sanctions so they would “no longer be a tool to shackle the Syrian people and once again confiscate their freedom.”
What is the “Caesar Act”?
The “Caesar Act” is a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on November 15, 2016, and signed into law by President Donald Trump on December 21, 2019 (during his first term).
The law mandates sanctions on anyone who provides support to the former Syrian regime and requires the U.S. President to impose penalties on states allied with the deposed Assad. It covers anyone, companies, individuals, and states, including Russia and Iran, providing military, financial, or technical support to the former regime, and targets those who finance Syria’s reconstruction.
It is named after the Syrian military defector Farid al-Madhhan (“Caesar”), who smuggled out 55,000 photos of 11,000 detainees in 2014 who were killed under torture. The FBI verified the photos’ authenticity, which stirred global public opinion at the time and was displayed in the U.S. Senate.
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