Trump also said he is looking at normalizing relations with Sharaa.
By REUTERS, AMICHAI STEIN, JERUSALEM POST STAFFMAY 14, 2025 09:36
US President Donald Trump meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025.(photo credit: SAUDI PRESS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
US President Donald Trump urged Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to sign the Abraham Accords with Israel during their meeting ahead of the GCC summit in Riyadh on Wednesday.
The US leader added that he is also looking to normalize relations with Sharaa. The meeting between the two comes one day after Trump said that the US was lifting sanctions on Syria.
Trump told the Syrian leader he has “a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country,” according to an official statement by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Trump also urged Sharaa to “tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria, deport Palestinian terrorists, help the US to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in the northeastern parts of the country.”
Shaara affirmed his commitment to the 1974 disengagement with Israel, the White House statement continued, recognized the opportunities of Iranians leaving Syria, and expressed interest in joint US-Syrian efforts in combating terrorism and eliminating chemical weapons.
Sources told The Jerusalem Post that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was also present in the meeting, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined by video conference. Erdogan and the Saudi Crown Prince praised Trump for lifting the sanctions on Syria, Leavitt said.
US President Donald Trump speaks at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in front of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025. (credit: BRIAN SNYDER/REUTERS)
The US president had agreed to say hello to the interim Syrian president, who was at the Saudi capital for meetings with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Trump’s business deals in the Middle East
Trump’s first day of a four-day swing through the Gulf region was marked by lavish ceremony and business deals, including a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the US and $142 billion in US arms sales to the kingdom.
Later on Wednesday, Trump will fly to the Qatari capital Doha, where he will participate in 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 investments in the US.
US ally Israel has opposed sanctions relief for Syria, but Trump on Tuesday said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Erdogan, who are both close to the US president, encouraged him to make the move.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-853885.
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