Al Sharaa-Trump meeting: Syria joins the fight against ISIS.

The international political scene is witnessing an event destined to change the course of Middle Eastern history. The Syrian president Ahmad Al Sharaa, former leader of the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, landed at Washington for an unprecedented meeting with the American president Donald Trump.
The aim is to formalize Syria's participation in the international anti-ISIS coalition, turning it into a strategic ally in the war on Islamic terrorism.

The meeting represents a epochal turning point in relations between the two countries: since 1946, the year of Syrian independence, no head of state from Damascus had ever set foot in White HouseAnd this time it is done by a man who, until a few years ago, was included in the American blacklist as an international terrorist, with a $10 million bounty on the head.

A historic visit 

Despite the absence of solemn protocols, flags and cameras in the Studio OvalAl Sharaa's visit has enormous political significance. The welcome was discreet: the Syrian leader entered from the side door of the White House, avoiding the usual official ceremony to reduce the risk of diplomatic embarrassment.

However, the substance of the meeting speaks for itself. Just a few days earlier, the UN Security Council, on the proposal of the United States, had sanctions revoked personal against Al Sharaa, which was removed from terrorist blacklist.

Trump himself, who had already met the Syrian president in Saudi Arabia last May, expressed enthusiastic tones: "He's a tough, strong and charming guy," he declared.

Official entry into the anti-ISIS coalition

Syria thus officially becomes part of the international anti-ISIS coalition led by the United States. An important step for Damascus which becomes political partner against jihadismSyria has signed a declaration of political cooperation with the coalition to defeat ISIS, confirming its role as a partner in regional stability.
stated the Syrian Minister of Information in a post on X.

Al Sharaa prefaced the visit with an anti-ISIS raid that led to the arrest of 70 militants in Syrian territory, thus demonstrating the concrete will to cooperate. In a video shared on social media, the president then appeared in a basketball game with Foreign Minister Assad Al-Chaibani, Commander of US Forces in the Middle East, Brad Cooper, and the head of the anti-jihadist coalition, Kevin Lambert: a symbolic gesture of détente and alliance.

Suspension of sanctions and political agreement

The United States has announced the suspension of some sanctions for 180 days against Syria, excluding some transactions with Russia and Iran, historical allies of Damascus.

La Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, passed in 2019 against the Syrian government and its allies for human rights violations, remains in force in its main part, but Washington has granted some temporary exceptions to encourage dialogue and internal stabilization of the country.
The final revocation, however, requires the vote of the Congress, where the Republicans are making the green light conditional on compliance with the human rights, to the commitment in the reconstruction and the effective fight against terrorism.

US military base and new negotiations with Israel

The points raised during the meeting were numerous and of a strategic nature. American diplomatic sources confirmed that The United States plans to open a military base near Damascus, intended to “coordinate humanitarian aid and monitor relations between Syria and Israel”.

At the same time, Damascus would have negotiations with Israel restarted for a security agreement which provides for the withdrawal of the Jewish state from the southern areas of Syria occupied after the fall of the previous regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Membership to the Agreements of Abraham, however, remains uncertain: Tel Aviv maintains a cautious stance towards the new Syrian course.

Another important aspect is the reopening of the Syrian embassy in Washington, closed for over a decade, which marks a Syria's progressive return to the international diplomatic scene.

Reconstruction of the country and fusion of the armed forces

Another central point of the summit is the reconstruction of Syria, estimated by World Bank in 216 billion dollars. Washington also asks Damascus to unify the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with a Kurdish majority, with the new Syrian National Army, so as to create an integrated military structure, capable of ensuring stability and security.

Un agreement in principle It was already achieved last March, but implementation remains blocked by local tensions and internal rivalries.

Damascus returns to the forefront

With this move, Syria definitively distances itself from its past of international isolation and presents itself as a new key player in the fight against global terrorism.

With this meeting, Damascus, therefore, obtains a first and precious result: 180 days of suspension of sanctionsa whirlpool bath, diplomatic reopening and international recognition of a strategic role that, until recently, seemed unthinkable.