'Giving them a chance at greatness': Trump announces end to Syria sanctions at Saudi Crown Prince's request

In a significant diplomatic shift, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria after a request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump made the unexpected announcement while on a three-nation tour that began in Saudi Arabia. He will also be traveling to United Arab Emirates and Qatar. It is the first major foreign trip of his second term.

The move marks a major boost for Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa as he attempts to bring stability to a nation devastated by over a decade of conflict.

“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Reuters quoted Trump as saying at an investment forum in Riyadh.

“It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off,” Trump said, “Good luck Syria, show us something very special.”

The White House confirmed that the US president would “say hello” to Sharaa during the visit, suggesting a face-to-face meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, reported Reuters.

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Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who spent five years in US custody in Iraq, assumed Syria’s interim leadership following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December after 13 years of brutal civil war.

According to Reuters, citing sources within the Syrian presidency, Sharaa would travel to Riyadh to meet with Trump in what is being seen as a highly symbolic gesture of international recognition.

Saudi Arabia has been a leading voice calling for the sanctions to be lifted.

Trump said he would remove all sanctions against Syria, saying they had served an important function, but it was now time for Syria to move forward.

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Sharaa was for years the leader of al Qaeda’s official wing in the Syrian conflict, before he severed ties with the global jihadist network in 2016.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group Sharaa led and which was formally dissolved in January, is designated a terrorist organisation by the United States and the United Nations.

With inputs from agencies