Trump lifts Syria sanctions

US President Donald Trump announced yesterday he would lift all US sanctions on Syria.

"I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness," Trump said during a speech at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, as part of his ongoing Gulf tour that also includes Qatar and the UAE.

The surprise announcement was based on talks with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the US president elaborated.

He added that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Turkiye later this week.

In a related development, a White House official announced that Trump will meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia.

Trump is set to say hello to Sharaa on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, a White House official said. Syrian presidential sources told Reuters that they would meet Wednesday morning.

Trump said he would remove all sanctions, saying they had served an important function, but it was now time for Syria to move forward. He said steps were being taken to restore normal relations with Syria.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, in a statement said it marked a turning point for the Syrian people in their efforts to rebuild.

"We ... stand ready to foster a relationship with the United States that is rooted in mutual respect, trust and shared interests," Shibani said.

He also said Trump could get a "historic peace deal and victory for US interests in Syria," without elaborating.

Most sanctions laws passed by Congress, including a 2019 package of stiff sanctions on Syria, include a provision allowing a president to suspend them if he deems it to be in the US national security interest.

The United Nations, which has been pushing countries to lift sanctions on Syria, welcomed the move.

"It was important for us to see relief on sanctions on Syria to help the reconstruction of Syria, to help the Syrian people recover from more than a decade of conflict, a decade of under investment," said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.