President Trump on Monday kept a historic meeting with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa behind closed doors, an unusual move for a president who frequently opens up the Oval Office to cameras and reporters when meeting with foreign leaders.
It was the first visit by a Syrian leader to the White House, but al-Sharaa did not walk the route typically reserved for visiting dignitaries, through the West Wing entrance along the North Drive.
Instead, he was seen walking through the West Executive entrance, which is off-limits to reporters, and footage of the Syrian leader was captured behind the steel bars of the dividing fence.
That order of operations lent a cloak of secrecy to the high-profile visit.
Trump has taken a leading role in backing al-Sharaa’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 Monday afternoon in the Oval Office in a separate event.
“I get along with the president, the new president in Syria, and we’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful.”
The Syrian Foreign Ministry released photos of the Oval Office meeting showing Trump and al-Sharaa smiling while shaking hands, with the president’s most senior officials taking part — 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 Turkey, Tom Barrack.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also joined the meeting at one point, demonstrating how closely Ankara is working between Damascus and Washington.
A congressional aide said that all indications, from conversations with the Syrian delegation and administration officials, are that the Oval Office meeting was a success despite the closed-door nature of the day.
Behind the scenes, U.S. and Syrian officials were working on a number of 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, legislation that blocked nearly all international transactions with the Assad government and that al-Sharaa’s supporters now view as an impediment to the country’s reconstruction and rehabilitation.
In a meeting late Sunday night, al-Sharaa huddled with members of Congress, including the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), who has not yet given a green light for a full repeal of Caesar sanctions.
Mast said in a statement that he and al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda operative who was once jailed by American forces in Iraq, “broke bread.” Mast, a decorated U.S. 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 we are no longer enemies?’ His response was that he wishes to ‘liberate from the past and have a noble pursuit for his people and his country and to be a great ally to the United States of America,’” Mast said in his statement.
Mast’s office declined to comment when asked if he supports repeal.
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), the House sponsor to repeal Caesar, said he appreciated the meeting.
“I appreciate that Brian Mast had a very wonderful exchange, to truly have such an underscoring of how President al-Sharaa wants to work with the United States and has moved from his background, to indeed see the importance of an American relationship,” he said in a phone call with The Hill.
Without a full repeal, Trump only has the ability to waive the sanctions on Syria for six months at a time, a step he took in May and repeated Monday.
Trump is also waiving two other sanctions regimes on Syria that are prohibitive, but less invasive than Caesar: the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act and the Syria Human Rights Act.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the 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 U.S. businesses and investors can feel secure transacting in Syria and be in compliance with other restrictions — like barring transactions related to Russia and Iran.
Trump said on Monday to expect an announcement that Syria will join the coalition to defeat the Islamic State group, a stunning move for al-Sharaa, who was once charged with building up the group’s infrastructure in Syria.
“This visit was historic and represents the positive outcomes when leaders pursue policies of peace and commitments to prevent the expansion of terrorism,” a senior administration official told The Hill.
“Syria will join the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Syria will thus become the 90th member of the D-ISIS Coalition, partnering with the United States to eliminate ISIS remnants and halt foreign fighter flows.”
Al-Sharaa was formerly a specially designated global terrorist, a label the Trump administration removed last week.
“People said he’s had a rough past. … And I think, frankly, if you didn’t have a rough past, you wouldn’t have a chance,” Trump told reporters Monday afternoon.
Al-Sharaa has high-profile supporters on Capitol Hill, including Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who organized the late-night Sunday meeting that also included Democrats. Ernst, who served during the Iraq War with the Iowa Army National Guard, has put her support behind a full repeal of Caesar sanctions.
“I appreciated the opportunity to host President Al-Sharaa for a frank and constructive discussion on the future of U.S.-Syria relations ahead of his meeting at the White House,” Ernst said in a statement, adding she welcomed Trump’s efforts to engage Syria as a “counterterrorism partner and a potential participant in the Abraham Accords,” the normalization agreements with Israel.
“Today’s visit is an important step toward building trust, fostering dialogue, and uniting Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious communities,” she said.
Not everyone was cheering al-Sharaa’s visit, with Laura Loomer — a self-proclaimed “proud Islamophobe” and far-right provocateur who has demonstrated significant influence with Trump — lashing out at Trump’s team for carrying out the visit and blaming al-Sharaa for sectarian violence in the country.
There is a coalition of bipartisan lawmakers cautious about completely lifting sanctions on Syria over concerns of sectarian violence — there were a number of high-profile, violent incidents in the country over the course of the year. But supporters for repeal argue that Trump holds executive authority to impose costs on al-Sharaa if he fails to live up to promises to protect minorities, deliver justice and conduct counterterrorism.
“I really regret that there may be any misunderstanding,” Wilson said, responding to a question over whether he viewed Loomer’s social media posts as harming the U.S.-Syrian relationship.
“It was only a year ago, indeed, that President al-Sharaa was identified as part of a terrorist organization with a reward over his head, but people can and do change. … And then it’s so exciting too to see the Syrian American community come to life, and then watch people voting with their feet. A million people have returned to Syria,” he said.
Al-Sharaa, in an appeal to Trump’s base, participated in an interview with Fox News on Monday evening where said he was ready to discuss the U.S. military presence in Syria aimed at countering ISIS, is relying on the U.S. to help broker talks with Israel, and is committed to uncovering information about the missing American journalist Austin Tice and any other Americans disappeared under the Assad regime.
He said Trump did not bring up his past terrorist ties and that he and the president are focused on the future, and on business opportunities between the U.S. and Syria.
“After the fall of the former regime, Syria has entered into a new era and this 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 U.S. can have great investments, especially extracting gas.”
Source: The Hill