President Trump held a historic behind-closed-doors meeting with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday, an unusual move for a president who often opens the Oval Office to cameras and reporters when meeting with foreign leaders.
it was First visit by a Syrian leader to the White House, but did not run through the West Wing entrance along Al-Shar’a North Drive on the route normally reserved for visiting dignitaries.
Instead, he was seen passing through the West Executive entrance, which is off-limits to journalists, and footage of the Syrian leader was captured behind the steel bars of the dividing fence.
That order of operations gave the high-profile visit a shroud of secrecy.
Trump has taken a leading role in supporting al-Shar’a’s stated desire to make Syria a friendly country after decades of war, terrorism and drug trafficking under the ousted regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.
“He’s a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place. Tough guy. I like him,” Trump told reporters at a separate event in the Oval Office on Monday afternoon.
“I stand with the president, the new president of Syria, and we will do everything possible to make Syria successful.”
The Syrian Foreign Ministry released photos of an Oval Office meeting showing Trump and al-Shaara smiling while shaking hands, attended by the president’s most senior officials – Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser; Vice President Vance; and Trump’s special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Türkiye, Tom Barrack.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also attended the meeting at one timeThis shows how closely Ankara is working with Damascus and Washington.
A congressional aide said talks with the Syrian delegation and administration officials indicated that Despite being closed for the day, the Oval Office meeting was successful.
Behind the scenes, American and Syrian officials were working on several fronts to strengthen ties between Washington and Damascus.
One of the biggest hurdles is whether Congress will move forward on repealing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, a law that has blocked almost all international transactions with the Assad government and that al-Sharaa’s supporters now see as an obstacle to the country’s reconstruction and rehabilitation.
In a meeting late Sunday night, Al-Sharaa scuffled with members of Congress, including Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who has yet to greenlight a full repeal of the Caesars sanctions.
Mast said in a statement that he and al-Shaara, a former al-Qaeda member who was once jailed by U.S. forces in Iraq, “broke bread.” Mast, a decorated US Army veteran of the war in Afghanistan, lost both his legs from an improvised explosive device.
“He and I are two former soldiers and two former enemies. I asked him directly, ‘Why are we not enemies anymore?’ His response was that he ‘wants to be free of the past and pursue a noble goal for his people and his country and be a great ally to the United States,” Mast said in his statement.
Asked whether he supported repeal, Mast’s office declined to comment.
Representative Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), the House sponsor of repealing Caesars, said he appreciated the meeting.
“I appreciate that Brian Mast had a really wonderful exchange that really highlighted how President al-Sharaa wants to work with the United States and understands the importance of the U.S. relationship beyond his own background,” he said in a phone call with The Hill.
Without full repeal, Trump has the ability to waive sanctions on Syria for only six months at a time, a move he took in May and reiterated on Monday.
Trump is also waiving two other sanctions on Syria that are restrictive, but less aggressive than Caesar’s: the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act and the Syria Human Rights Act.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced legislation on Monday to repeal both of those sanctions regimes.
The President also directed the Treasury, Commerce, and State departments to issue guidance on how American businesses and investors can feel safe transacting in Syria and comply with other sanctions – such as blocking transactions related to Russia and Iran.
Trump on Monday said the announcement expected Syria to join the coalition to defeat the Islamic State group, a surprise move for al-Sharaa, which was once accused of building the group’s infrastructure in Syria.
A senior administration official told The Hill, “This visit was historic and represents positive outcomes when leaders follow through on policies of peace and commitments to prevent the expansion of terrorism.”
“Syria will join the global coalition to defeat ISIS. Syria will thus become the 90th member of the D-ISIS coalition, which will partner with the United States to eliminate the remnants of ISIS and stem foreign fighter flows.”
Al-Sharaa was previously a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, labeled by the Trump administration deleted last week,
“People said he had a bad past … and I think, frankly, if you don’t have a bad past, you don’t stand a chance,” Trump told reporters Monday afternoon.
Al-Sharaa has high-profile supporters on Capitol Hill, including Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who organized a late Sunday night meeting also attended by Democrats. Ernst, who served during the Iraq War with the Iowa Army National Guard, has thrown his support behind a full repeal of Caesar restrictions.
“I appreciated the opportunity to host President al-Shaara at the White House for a candid and constructive discussion on the future of U.S.-Syria relations ahead of our meeting with him,” Ernst said in a statement. He welcomed Trump’s efforts to include Syria as a “counterterrorism partner and a potential partner in the Abraham Accords”, which are normalization agreements with Israel.
“Today’s visit is an important step toward building trust, promoting dialogue, and uniting Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious communities,” he said.
Not everyone was appreciative of al-Sharaa’s visit, with Laura Loomer – a self-proclaimed “proud Islamophobe” and far-right provocateur who has wielded significant influence with Trump – attacking Trump’s team for orchestrating the trip and blaming al-Sharaa for sectarian violence in the country.
A coalition of bipartisan lawmakers is cautious about completely lifting sanctions on Syria over concerns of sectarian violence — several high-profile, violent incidents occurred in the country during the year. But supporters of repeal argue that Trump retains executive authority to impose costs on al-Shar’a if he fails to fulfill promises to protect minorities, deliver justice and conduct counterterrorism.
“I’m really sorry there may have been any misunderstanding,” Wilson said, responding to a question about whether he saw Loomer’s social media posts as damaging to U.S.-Syrian relations.
“In fact, it was only a year ago that President al-Sharaa was identified as a member of a terrorist organization with a bounty on his head, but people can and do change. …And then to see the Syrian American community come alive and then to see people voting with their feet is very exciting. One million people have returned to Syria,” He said.
Appealing to Trump’s base, al-Sharaa participated in an interview with Fox News on Monday evening, where he said he was willing to discuss the US military presence in Syria aimed at countering ISIS, he is counting on the US to help in negotiations with Israel, and is committed to uncovering information about missing US journalist Austin Tice and other Americans who have disappeared under the Assad regime.
She said Trump did not bring up his past terrorist ties and that she and the president are focused on the future and business opportunities between the US and Syria.
“After the fall of the former regime, Syria has entered a new era and it will be built on a new strategy, especially with the United States,” he said.
“Syria is no longer a security threat, it is a geopolitical ally and a place where the US can make major investments, especially in gas extraction.”
