Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa affirmed on Sunday that Syria needs the efforts of its people to rebuild the country, emphasizing the importance of uniting national energies both at home and abroad to contribute to the reconstruction and development process.
The Alekhbariah TV reported that this came during a meeting held by President Al-Sharaa in Washington, D.C., with a number of representatives of Syrian organizations, in the presence of Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani, as part of his official visit to the United States.
President Al-Sharaa spoke during the meeting about the spirit of cooperation among Syrians in the diaspora, considering that "the opportunity available to Syrians today is a rare one that should be seized." He affirmed that the sanctions imposed on Syria are in their final stages and called for continued efforts until they are completely lifted.
The Syrian President arrived in the United States on Saturday for a landmark official visit, his country’s state news agency reported, a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist.
Al-Sharaa, whose forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.
It’s the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946, according to analysts.
The leader met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour in May.
US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said earlier this month that al-Sharaa would “hopefully” sign an agreement to join the international US-led alliance against ISIS.
The United States plans to establish a military base near Damascus “to coordinate humanitarian aid and observe developments between Syria and Israel,” a diplomatic source in Syria told AFP.
The State Department’s decision Friday to remove al-Sharaa from the blacklist was widely expected.
Transformation
Al-Sharaa’s Washington trip comes after his landmark visit to the United Nations in September -- his first time on US soil -- where he became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN General Assembly in New York.
On Thursday, Washington led a vote by the Security Council to remove UN sanctions against him.
Since taking power, Syria’s new leaders have sought to break from their violent past and present a moderate image more tolerable to ordinary Syrians and foreign powers.
The White House visit “is further testament to the US commitment to the new Syria and a hugely symbolic moment for the country’s new leader, who thus marks another step in his astonishing transformation from militant leader to global statesman,” International Crisis Group US program director Michael Hanna said.
Al-Sharaa is expected to seek funds for Syria, which faces significant challenges in rebuilding after 13 years of brutal civil war.
In October, the World Bank put a “conservative best estimate” of the cost of rebuilding Syria at $216 billion.
With AFP
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.