Trump said he would lift sanctions in Syria: “I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”
He announced on Tuesday that President Trump will cut sanctions on Syria and promote normalization of relations with the country after the removal of his long-time dictator. Bashar al-Assad.
“I will order the sanctions on Syria to give them a great opportunity,” Trump said in a speech in Saudi Arabia. “These sanctions were cruel and cruel and played an important function of … at the time, but now is the time for them to shine.”
The president said: “I said good luck, Syria. Show us something very special.”
Mr. Trump is expected to greet new Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa Saudi Arabia Trump announced on Tuesday that Marco Rubio plans to meet with Turkey's Syrian Foreign Minister later this week, according to White House and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mr. Trump will be the first U.S. president to meet with Syrian leaders since Bill Clinton met with Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad.
Sharaa was a former insurgent and the government of Bashar al-Assad quickly collapsed in a few days last year, bringing the decade-long civil war to destroy Syria to a rapid end. Sharaa previously led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or HTS, an Islamic rebel group who fought against the Assad regime and was rooted in Al Qaeda's Nusra Front. Sharaa also participated in the 2000s rebellion against U.S. troops against Iraq.
Until last year, the U.S. had a $10 million bounty on Sharaa because of his leadership over HTS, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S.
Despite the collapse of the Assad government, many of the U.S. strict sanctions against Syria, marked by civil war and serious human rights violations, remained in place during the last 13 years of Assad's rule. The Trump administration has been decided whether to normalize relations with the Syrian government, which could prevent Iran's influence – even if its leaders are rooted in Extremist movement.
Trump said the sudden existence between the United States and Syria, which has had no normal diplomatic relations for more than a decade, was backed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Saudi Arabia has begun to build ties with the Sarah-Ah government, a move designed to limit the influence of Saudi Arabia's rival Iran, which has helped Assad in his years of fighting with Sarah and other rebels.
Meanwhile, Israel, the main U.S. ally, is more alert to salad and continues to launch air strikes on Syrian targets – angering Sarah's administration.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said caution needed to be exercised and through appropriate congressional channels to mitigate sanctions on Syria. Graham arrived in Türkiye on Tuesday to meet with us and Turkish officials regarding the situation in Syria.
“I am very inclined to support sanctions relief against Syria under the right conditions,” Graham said in a statement. “However, we must remember that leaders currently in Syria realize their position by force rather than by the will of their people. I know that the Trump administration has provided Syrian officials with guidance on conditions that need to be met before any sanctions can be lifted.”
“He is convinced that Congress needs to be informed before Congress can make an informed decision on whether the designation change should be approved,” Graham said. He also said that Israeli officials are “very concerned” about the “state of Syria”.
“Give up the sanctions passed by Congress is a complex process,” Graham said. “While I want to give new players to Syria, it must be done in a coordinated manner with our allies, especially our friends in Israel, so many security issues can be addressed.”
Mr. Trump took the first stop of a four-day tour to the Middle East in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The trip is Mr. Trump's second term and will travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates later this week.
President Comments posted At the U.S. Sudi Investment Summit in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, the White House announced a $600 billion investment from Saudi Arabia, including touted “the largest defense sales agreement in history.”
