US President Donald Trump is set to meet with the Syrian president in Saudi Arabia today after a surprise announcement that the United States would lift all sanctions on the country’s government, despite long-standing concerns about its leaders’ former ties to al-Qaeda.
Despite concerns within his administration, Trump said in a speech in Riyadh on Tuesday that he would lift sanctions on Syria. The US president agreed to welcome interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who will be in Riyadh for meetings with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Trump’s first day of a four-day visit to the Persian Gulf region was marked by lavish ceremonies and business deals, including a pledge by Saudi Arabia to invest $600 billion in the United States and $142 billion in US arms sales to the kingdom.
Later on Wednesday, Trump will fly to the Qatari capital, Doha, for a state visit with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and other officials. Qatar, a key US ally, is expected to announce hundreds of billions of dollars in investment in the US.
US ally Israel has opposed easing sanctions on Syria, but Trump said on Tuesday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, both close to the US president, had encouraged him to take the step.
