Trump meets Syria’s al-Sharaa

US President Donald Trump says Washington is considering the normalisation of ties with Damascus after he met Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

This was the first such encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years.

On Wednesday at a meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, Trump also said the US will drop “all sanctions” against Syria.

“With the support of the great leaders in this room, we are currently exploring normalising relations with Syria’s new government,” Trump said, confirming his brief meeting with al-Sharaa.

The “cessation of sanctions” will give Syria “a fresh start”, Trump said.

“We will be dropping all sanctions.”

Trump met al-Sharaa, who once pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and swept to power in Syria at the head of a group of opposition fighters, before a summit between the United States and Gulf Arab countries.

Trump’s pledge to lift sanctions could be a major turning point for a country still adjusting to life after more than 50 years of iron-gripped rule by the al-Assad family.

Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December after a lightning offensive by opposition rebels led by al-Sharaa’s forces.