Key Points
- US President Donald Trump has met with Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa during a visit to the Middle East.
- It came after the US announced it was lifting sanctions against the country.
- Trump also met with Qatar's emir and oversaw a deal for the country to buy jets from US manufacturer Boeing.
United States President Donald Trump asked Syria's new leader to normalise relations with Israel after he offered a major boost to the war-ravaged country by announcing the lifting of sanctions.
Trump, on a state visit to the Saudi capital Riyadh, became the first US president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader — Ahmed al-Sharaa, who swept to power at the head of a group the US has called a terrorist organisation, leading the .
Sharaa and Trump, wearing matching suits, shook hands as they met jointly with Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and, by video link, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the key supporter of the new government in Syria.
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia had both advocated reconciliation with Syria, but the move is the latest to put Trump at odds with Israel, which has voiced pessimism over Sharaa and ramped up strikes to degrade the longtime adversary's military capabilities.
Donald Trump's meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa was also attended by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Source: AAP / Saudi Royal Palace/AP
"I told him, 'I hope you're going to join when it's straightened out'. He said, 'Yes'. But they have a lot of work to do," Trump said, according to a White House pool report.
Trump said the meeting with Sharaa, whom he described as a "young, attractive guy" with a "very strong past", was "great".
"He's got a real shot at holding it together," Trump said.
Donald Trump said Ahmed al-Sharaa had a "real shot at holding it together" following the meeting. Source: AAP / Telmo Pinto/SOPA Images/Sipa USA
Sharaa first joined the group in Iraq, where he spent five years in US-run prisons. The US removed a US$10 million ($15 million) bounty on his head in December.
Trump also asked Sharaa to deport Palestinian militants and tell foreign fighters to leave the country, as well as to take control of camps for captured self-proclaimed Islamic State group fighters, run by Kurdish militants opposed by Türkiye, the White House said.
Syria's foreign ministry hailed the meeting as "historic", but did not mention the Abraham Accords. Syrian state media also did not mention normalisation.
The foreign ministry said the leaders discussed "avenues for Syrian-American partnership in counterterrorism efforts" and the importance of lifting sanctions and supporting reconstruction.
After the longer-than-expected half-hour meeting, Trump said the Assad-era sanctions had been "really crippling" on Syria.
"It's not going to be easy anyway, so it gives them a good, strong chance, and it was my honour to do so," Trump said, addressing Gulf Arab leaders.
Sanctions announcement got 'biggest applause', Trump says
The former reality television host, always attuned to crowd sizes, took note of the rapturous reception when he announced the decision at a Riyadh investment forum on day one of his trip.
"That was the thing that got the biggest applause from the room. We had a very crowded room with thousands of people," Trump said.
After the announcement, Syrians celebrated the easing of sanctions, with dozens of men, women and children gathering in Damascus' Umayyad Square.
"My joy is great. This decision will definitely affect the entire country positively," said Huda Qassar, a 33-year-old English-language teacher.
The Syrian foreign ministry called Trump's decision a "pivotal turning point".
The US imposed sweeping restrictions on financial transactions with Syria during the brutal civil war and made clear it would use sanctions to punish anyone involved in reconstruction so long as Assad remained in power without accountability for atrocities.
Trump gave no indication the US would remove Syria from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism — a designation dating back to 1979 over support to Palestinian militants that severely impedes investment.
A senior envoy of the Joe Biden administration met Sharaa in Damascus in December and called for commitments, including on the protection of minorities.
People celebrate in Damascus' Umayyad Square after US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions in Syria. Source: AFP / Abdulaziz Ketaz
"Lifting sanctions will give Syria a real opportunity to receive the funding needed to revive the economy, impose central state authority and launch reconstruction projects with clear Gulf support," she said.
Deals in Qatar
Trump then flew to Qatar, where he oversaw the signing of a deal for the Gulf Arab country to buy jets from US manufacturer Boeing.
He did not mention a controversial separate offer by Qatar to donate a US$400 million ($622 million) luxury aircraft to serve as a new Air Force One, which would reportedly be transferred to the foundation overseeing Trump's yet-to-be-built presidential library after his term ends in 2029.
That would be one of the most valuable gifts ever given to the US, and it has triggered alarm in Washington over its security and ethical implications.
Trump had earlier dismissed ethical concerns about his plan to accept the luxury plane, saying it would be "stupid" to turn down the generous offer.
In Doha, Trump and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani announced deals the White House said were worth US$1.2 trillion ($1.8 trillion).
Qatar, host of the largest US military base in the Middle East, has been working to deepen ties with Trump in his second term after falling on the wrong side of the US president when he was first in office.
Donald Trump was given a red carpet welcome in Qatar. Source: AAP / EPA/Qatar News Agency handout
At the time, Trump's administration sided with Qatar's rivals.
Qatar has been a key intermediary with Hamas, helping the US negotiate directly the release this week from Gaza of .
