Trump to meet Syria's Sharaa in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Donald Trump will meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during his trip to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, a White House official confirmed to Al-Monitor.

The meeting is a remarkable turnaround for Sharaa, the former Islamist insurgent who five months ago led a coalition of rebel groups to topple Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al-Assad.

Trump “agreed to say hello” to the Syrian president, the official said. The Trump administration has avoided official engagement with Sharawhose group — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — remains a US-designated terrorist organization due to its past association with al-Qaeda.

In remarks at the Saudi-hosted investment forum Tuesday evening, Trump reflected on “the misery and death” experienced by Syria during its nearly 14-year civil war.

“There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace,” Trump said.

Trump arrived in the Saudi capital on Tuesday, the first stop in a high-profile trip to the Middle East that will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The three Gulf states have urged Washington to unwind the layers of sanctions that have limited their ability to provide financial support to the country’s fledgling government.

Before departing for Riyadh on Monday, Trump told reporters he would consider lifting the crippling sanctions that the United States imposed on Syria during Assad’s deadly rule.

“We may take them off of Syria, because we want to give them a fresh start,” Trump said Monday.

This developing story has been updated.