Syria will become the 90th member state of the coalition against the Islamic State, following the meeting between President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Donald Trump at the White House, signaling a shift in the foreign policy of the two countries, which had cut diplomatic ties since 2012.
He is the first Syrian president to visit the White House since the country gained independence in 1946, just days after the former jihadist was removed from the U.S. official terrorist list, where he had been placed due to his organization’s links with Al-Qaeda.
The Islamic State (IS) is a jihadist extremist terrorist organization that seized large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2013.
Trump said he wants Syria to become “very successful” after more than a decade of civil war, adding that he believes Sharaa “can do it, I really believe that. He is a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough environment, and he is a tough person.”
However, during the short period of al-Sharaa’s rule, there have been killings of members of Syria’s Alawite minority, as well as clashes between Sunni Bedouins and Druze communities, two other major minorities in the country.
Trump also stated after their closed-door meeting that Syria is a “big piece” of his plan for a Middle East peace agreement. However, he did not confirm reports that Syria would sign any non-aggression pact with Israel.
Sources:BBC, Le Monde
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