Trump meets Syria’s ‘attractive, tough’ president after lifting US sanctions
by William Christou in Damascus from World news | The Guardian on (#6X92A)
US president meets Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia as lifting of sanctions is met with jubilation in Damascus
Donald Trump has met Syria's president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia, telling the former jihadist he had an extraordinary opportunity", and said Washington is exploring normalising ties with Damascus, a day after an announcement that all US sanctions on Syria would be lifted.
The US president met Sharaa, a former militant who fought against US forces in Iraq and had a $10m US bounty on his head until December 2024, alongside the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for about half an hour before a conference of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as part of his four-day visit to the Middle East.
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