Riyadh: President Donald Trump has made a big announcement and decided to lift the sanctions imposed on Syria. Trump, who is on a visit to Saudi Arabia, made this announcement on Tuesday. This is a big step by Trump towards normalizing America's relations with the new leadership of Syria. Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh, Trump said that he has taken the decision to lift sanctions from Syria after discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He is also going to meet the interim President of Syria.
Donald Trump said, 'There is a new government in Syria and hopefully it will be successful. I announce the lifting of the ban on Syria and wish the Syrian people all the best.' Trump's announcement also shows an important policy change. Syria has been engulfed in civil war for the past decade. During this time, the US imposed several sanctions on Syria due to allegations of human rights violations against the pro-Iran former President Bashar al-Assad. Ahmed al-Shara has become the interim president of the country after the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group captured Damascus in December last year.
Trump will meet Al-Shara
US President Donald Trump will meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Since Al-Shara took power in December last year, the US has been considering how to coordinate with him. Al-Shara was earlier known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani.
Al-Shara joined the Al Qaeda group fighting the US forces there after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The US considers this group a terrorist organization. Even now, the US-backed government of Iraq has issued a warrant for Shara's arrest on charges of terrorism. Due to Al Shara's links with Al Qaeda, the US had at one time placed a bounty of US$10 million on his head.
