The US envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, described the visit of Syria\u2019s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to the United States as \u201chistoric,\u201d calling this week \u201ca decisive turning point in the modern history of the Middle East and in Syria\u2019s remarkable shift from isolation to partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a post on X<\/a> on Thursday, 13 November, Barrack affirmed the Syrian president\u2019s commitment to joining the Global Coalition against the Islamic State group, which he said represents a historic framework reflecting Syria\u2019s move from being a source of terrorism to a partner in combating it, as well as its commitment to reconstruction, cooperation, and contributing to the stability of the entire region.<\/p>\n \u201cDamascus will help us effectively to confront and dismantle the remnants of the Islamic State, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist networks,\u201d he said, stressing that Syria will remain a committed partner in global efforts to ensure peace.<\/p>\n According to Barrack, US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa share a conviction that the time has come to replace estrangement with engagement and to give Syria and its people a genuine chance at renewal, within what he called a \u201ccordial and substantive\u201d meeting between them.<\/p>\n He revealed that in a trilateral session with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, the next stage of the US, Turkish, and Syrian framework was mapped out. It includes:<\/p>\n Integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the new Syrian economic, defense, and civil structure. Barrack praised Turkey\u2019s role in Syria\u2019s transition, calling it \u201ca testament to quiet, steady diplomacy that builds bridges where walls once stood.\u201d<\/p>\n He stressed that there is a broader alliance involving Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey that supports the return of the Syrian nation-state to the region as a whole, with all its tribal, religious, and cultural components.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Trump\u2019s leadership is setting a new path to balance, built first on security, then on prosperity,\u201d Barrack said.<\/p>\n He argued that the ability of former adversaries to become strong allies is nothing new in history or in this region. What is new, he added, is that regional states themselves are achieving this, not under Western mandates and dictates.<\/p>\n Barrack said the next step in \u201cgiving Syria a real chance\u201d is the complete repeal of the Caesar Act, calling on Congress to take this historic step.<\/p>\n He said he had come a long way and now needs a strong final push to enable the new Syrian government to restart its economic engine, allowing the Syrian people and their regional neighbors not only to survive but also to prosper.<\/p>\n A \u201cnew phase\u201d in relations with the United States<\/p>\n Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa gave an interview<\/a> to the American network Fox News after he met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, 10 November.<\/p>\n Al-Sharaa said during the interview that relations between Damascus and Washington have entered \u201ca new phase\u201d after decades of rupture and isolation.<\/p>\n He added that this is the first time a Syrian president has visited the White House since the Syrian Republic was established in the 1940s, noting that the visit represents a strategic shift following the fall of the previous regime and Syria\u2019s entry into a new stage of cooperation with the United States.<\/p>\n A necessary step to enable Syria<\/p>\n In an interview<\/a> with The Washington Post, published<\/a> in detail on 12 November, al-Sharaa said the US administration\u2019s decision to suspend sanctions imposed on Syria is a necessary step to enable the country to recover after decades of war, stressing that Washington is moving toward supporting Syria\u2019s stability and unity.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is clear from Trump\u2019s policies that he supports Syria\u2019s stability and territorial unity and the full lifting of sanctions on Syria, and he is pushing in that direction,\u201d al-Sharaa said.<\/p>\n He added that the majority of members of Congress he met on Monday, 10 November, support lifting the sanctions, saying that \u201cthe US administration agrees that Syria deserves a chance to be stable, build its economy, and preserve its territorial integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n Al-Sharaa in Washington<\/p>\n President al-Sharaa held a closed-door meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday, 10 November.<\/p>\n The US administration described the visit as \u201ca historic step\u201d that paves the way to testing the possibility of bringing Damascus back onto the diplomatic track after more than a decade of war and isolation, according to Fox News.<\/p>\n The meeting addressed issues related to the agreement with the SDF, US sanctions on Syria, and the security arrangement with Israel.<\/p>\n
\nRedefining Turkish, Syrian, and Israeli relations.
\nStrengthening understandings that support the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as well as addressing various issues related to Lebanon\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n