Trump announces the lifting of the sanctions against Syria

According to President Donald Trump, the United States wants to abolish the sanctions against Syria. « I will arrange the sanctions against Syria to give the country a chance to be great, » said Trump in the Saudi capital Riad. « Now her time has come. We all raise (sanctions). » Trump wished the country the best of luck – « show us something very special ».

Trump made the announcement in the presence of the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. « Oh, what I don’t do for the crown prince, » joked Trump.

Trump wants to meet Syrian transitional presidents

The US government had previously announced that Trump had also agreed to meet Syria’s transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh. « The president agreed to say hello to the Syrian president tomorrow during his stay in Saudi Arabia, » it said from the White House.

Officially, no meeting with Al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia was planned before Trump’s departure. Local and international media speculated about a possible meeting in Riad. So far, there is no official confirmation from Syria.

Syria advertises internationally for lifting the sanctions

Syria’s new leadership has been trying to approach the international community since the fall of long-term power holder Bashar al-Assad. During the years of brutal civil war under Assad, many countries of Syria had occupied sanctions.

Before his departure to Riad, Trump had already said that he was considering a lifting of the sanctions against Syria because he wanted to enable the country to start again. Syria’s transitional government is demanding internationally the abolition of sanctions. They were imposed on the Assad government and would now harm the Syrian population.

Syria’s Foreign Minister in the transitional government described Trump’s decision as the « victory of law ». In an explanation on X, he also thanked Saudi Arabia. The kingdom had made sincere efforts to support the abolition of « unjust sanctions against Syria ». « We see the lifting of the sanctions as a fresh start on the way of reconstruction, » continued Schaibani. Syria has a new chapter.

Normalization with Israel in return?

It remained open whether and if so, what consideration Trump expects from Syria. It is very possible that Trump from Al-Sharaa wants to see a peace conclusion with Israel in return. « However, the question is: does the Netanyahu government really want peace? » Said Riad Kahwaji, director of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, the German Press Agency. It could be that there could be a peace agreement under another Israeli government.

Al-Sharaa recently confirmed that there were indirect discussions with Israel. From informed circles, it also said that a possible peace process was based on conditions such as the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the return since 1967 areas occupied by Israel in Syria. Israel and Syria have been in the state of war since 1948.

Al-Sharaa further listed as a terrorist

An alliance under the leadership of the Islamist group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham had overthrew Syria’s long-term power of Bashar al-Assad in early December after a lightning offensive. Assad fled to Moscow. Al-Sharaa became a temporary president.

He is officially listed as a terrorist by the US authorities. Trump did not comment on this. Before Al-Schaharaa’s interim presidency, he led the HTS rebel group, which emerged from an offshoot of the Al Qaeda terror network. In the meantime, however, he has long said for Al Qaeda and the terrorist organization of Islamic State (IS). However, there is further doubts as to whether he actually has left the extremist ideology completely behind. Many members of the current government are former HTS members.

Although Al-Sharaa is also continued on a terrorist list by the EU, he was received by France President Emmanuel Macron in Paris last week. It was his first trip to the EU. Macron also promised the gradual abolition of European sanctions. The EU had previously started to loosen the first sanctions.