Washington: United States President Donald Trump is set to host Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa for talks in Washington this month, marking the first visit by a Syrian president to the US capital in more than eight decades, Al Jazeera reported.
According to the report, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said during a speech in Bahrain on Sunday that the visit would help open a "new chapter" in relations between Damascus and Washington.
"President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be at the White House at the start of November," al-Shaibani said. "Of course, this is a historic visit. It is the first visit by a Syrian president to the White House in more than 80 years." Al-Shaibani said the agenda for the talks would include "the lifting of sanctions and opening of a new chapter between the United States and Syria," adding that Damascus seeks "to establish a very strong partnership between the two countries." Citing Axios, Al Jazeera reported that US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said al-Sharaa is expected to sign an agreement during his visit to join an international US-led alliance against the ISIL (ISIS) group.
Al-Sharaa, who took power from Bashar al-Assad in December, has been working to rebuild Syria's ties with world powers that had distanced themselves during Assad's rule.
He previously met Trump in Saudi Arabia in May, in what was the first encounter between the two nations' leaders in 25 years. The meeting took place on the sidelines of Trump's talks with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders and was described as a significant development for a Syria emerging from over five decades of Assad family rule, Al Jazeera reported.
In September, al-Sharaa also addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, signalling his efforts to bring Syria back into global diplomatic circles.
Al-Sharaa, who once led Syria's offshoot of al-Qaeda, broke away from the network a decade ago and later clashed with ISIL. The Syrian leader previously had a USD 10 million US bounty on his head and was imprisoned by American forces during the Iraq conflict.
The report added that his planned visit comes as Trump urges Middle Eastern allies to work toward lasting peace in the region, following the ceasefire and captives exchange between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending Israel's two-year war in Gaza.
Syria and Israel are also holding talks to reach an agreement that could halt Israeli air strikes on Syrian territory and lead to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Syria, according to Al Jazeera.
