A Yarn on Saudi Arabia: "Swaggering Chap": Trump lauds over Syria's Interim President
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Trump Lavishes Praise on Syria's Leader, Calling Him an "Appealing Gentleman" - Trump demonstrates an unwavering preoccupation with the Syrian leader.
In a hearty exchange following a meet with Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Shaar, US President Donald Trump couldn't help but sing the praises of the former militant. Trump declared the Wednesday dance as "grand" and marked al-Shaar as a "handsome, rugged fellow" and a "warrior".
It marked the first face-to-face between the heads of state of the United States and Syria in a quarter-century. The last time a Yank in the White House, Bill Clinton, locked horns with Hafis al-Assad, the poppy-donning daddy of the current Syrian desk jockey Bashar al-Assad, was back in the year 2000.
Syrian View on Tete-a-Tete: "Pivotal"
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the half-hour huddle between Trump and al-Shaar in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as "pivotal". The previous day, Trump had announced the scrapping of long-standing US sanctions on Syria.
While flying to Qatar aboard Air Force One, Trump also tagged the interim president of Syria as a "strong, burly dude" with a "determined past".
The HTS militia led by al-Shaar and its related factions booted Assad out after more than a dozen years of battling it out in the Syrian Civil War in December. The HTS was once an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, but has since disavowed the terror network infamous for the 9/11 atrocities. Since donning the presidential hat, al-Shaar has been attempting to secure a more moderate persona.
Trump Urges Syria to Embrace Israel
According to the White House, Trump urged the Syrian interim president at the get-together to normalize Syria's relations with Israel and expel Palestinian "terrorists". He also pressed for Syria to take the reins of detention camps in northeastern Syria where fighters from the Islamic State (IS) militant gang are holed up. These encampments are currently patrolled by Kurdish troops.
Joining the confab was Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also partook via video link, according to the official Turkish news agency Anadolu.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Trump and al-Shaar discussed "avenues to fortify the Syrian-American partnership in counter-terrorism efforts". However, the ministry kept mum when it came to the question of normalizing relations with Israel.
Trump chatted aboard Air Force One that al-Shaar had agreed to his plea, much like other Middling East states, to ink the Abraham Accord to normalize relations with Israel. However, Syria still has "loads of work ahead" in this department, Trump asserted.
The lifting of US sanctions announced by Trump on Tuesday triggered jubilant cheers in Syria, with folks celebrating in the streets. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani reported, according to the state news agency Sana, that it was a "turning point for the Syrian people in our journey towards a future of stability, economic stability, and genuine reconstruction after years of devastating war".
Trump spoke after his chat with al-Shaara at a meet with Gulf area leaders that this would give Syria "a solid, robust chance" for reconstruction, which isn't going to be a walk in the park.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey had been lobbying for a truce between the USA and Syria following the ouster of the long-standing ruler Assad. However, Trump's peace overtures overlooked the strong reservations of Israel regarding the new Syrian leadership.
As early as late February, the EU had partially suspended its sanctions against the country. The USA had demanded, among other things, the protection of minorities from the new Syrian rulers as a condition for lifting the sanctions.
The new Syrian regime has repeatedly pledged that it wants to protect minorities. However, fighters linked to the Syrian government have been attacking members of the religious minorities of Alawites and Druze in recent weeks, killing numerous folks.
In the meantime, Trump's three-day expedition to the Middle East is primarily geared towards economic targets. At the outset of the journey, the USA and Saudi Arabia inked a defense deal worth $142 billion (€127.4 billion) on Tuesday. The Gulf state will receive "top-ranking military gear" from the USA, the White House announced.
In Qatar, Trump then declared that the country's airline, Qatar Airways, had placed an order for 160 aircraft worth $200 billion (€178 billion) from US aircraft manufacturer Boeing. This is "the most significant order in Boeing's history". "That's rather swell," he quipped.
However, Trump is facing accusations of conflicts of interest at home, as he wants to make use of a luxury jet gifted by Qatar as the new Air Force One.
- In the realm of politics, President Donald Trump praised Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Shaar, following their meeting, labeling him as a "handsome, rugged fellow" and a "warrior."
- The lifting of US sanctions on Syria, as announced by Trump, has been described as "pivotal" by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, amidst ongoing discussions on counter-terrorism efforts and the normalization of relations with Israel.
- In the midst of his three-day expedition to the Middle East, President Trump has pursued economic targets, securing a defense deal worth $142 billion with Saudi Arabia and a $200 billion aircraft order from Qatar Airways, which he declared as "the most significant order in Boeing's history."
