By Ryan Morgan
Contributing Writer
President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he had ordered the cessation of U.S. sanctions against Syria, warming diplomatic relations with the country’s de facto new leaders.
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said in an address to the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh on Tuesday.
The United States had applied sanctions against Syria after the country fell into a state of civil war in 2011. These sanctions were aimed at raising pressure on Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who finally relinquished power and fled the country in December, in the face of a surprise rebel offensive.
Syria is currently under the de facto control of a self-styled transitional government. This government was formed out of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, a Sunni terrorist group formed from a Syrian Al Qaeda offshoot known as al-Nusra Front. Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham remains designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization.
Since seizing Damascus, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, have tried to distance themselves from their Sunni Islamist fundamentalist roots and strike a more moderate tone.
Speaking in Saudi Arabia, Trump signaled he’s willing to give the new Syrian government some new diplomatic leeway and hopes to see post-Assad Syria flourish.
“I say, ‘Good luck, Syria,’ show us something very special,” Trump said.
Trump noted his administration has taken other steps to re-establish diplomatic relations with Syria.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, a White House official announced that Trump intends to briefly meet with Sharaa on Wednesday.
“The president agreed to say hello to the Syrian president while in Saudi Arabia tomorrow,” the White House official said.
Since seizing the Syrian capital city, a rebel-led council named Sharaa as the president of the transitional government. The rebel-led council has appointed other Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham leaders to top positions in this government.
Even before Trump took office in January, the U.S. government had begun to relax some of the pressure it had placed on Sharaa and his forces.
“Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” President Joe Biden said on Dec. 8, as Assad’s fall became apparent.
“We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days. And they’re saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions.”
Days later, the Biden administration retracted a $10 million bounty it had placed on Sharaa, opening the way for then-Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf to meet with the ascendant Syrian warlord.
In his remarks in Riyadh on Tuesday, Trump announced that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would also meet in Turkey with the new Syrian foreign minister.
