UN lifts sanctions on Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa

The United Nations Security Council has lifted sanctions on Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa, removing obstacles to his planned visit to the White House next week, reports BBC.

Sanctions on Interior Minister Anas Khattab were also lifted.

The decision followed a US-backed proposal at the UN, with 14 of the 15 council members voting in favour and China abstaining.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), became Syria’s president after ousting Bashar al-Assad in December last year.

HTS, formerly known as the Nusra Front, was once linked to al-Qaeda but severed ties in 2016 and had been under UN sanctions since May 2014. The United States removed the group from its terrorism list in July.

The BBC reported that al-Shara is scheduled to meet US president Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

The two previously met in Riyadh in May, where Trump described al-Shara as a “resolute leader” who has made “significant progress” towards peace in Syria.