Syrian president arrives in US for landmark visit

AFP/APP

Washington: Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the United States on Saturday for a landmark official visit, his country’s state news agency reported, a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist.

Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler # late last year, is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

According to analysts, it is the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946.

The interim leader had earlier met President Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour in May.

US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said earlier this month that Sharaa would “hopefully” sign an agreement to join the international US-led alliance against the Islamic State (IS).

The United States also plans to establish a military base near Damascus “to coordinate humanitarian aid and observe developments between Syria and Israel,” a diplomatic source in Syria told AFP.

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The State Department’s decision on Friday to remove Sharaa from the blacklist was widely expected.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Sharaa’s government had been meeting US demands, including efforts to locate missing Americans and eliminate any remaining chemical weapons.

“These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” Pigott said.

He added that the US delisting would promote “regional security and stability as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.”