One of the ‘most wanted terrorists’ of the past, Ahmed el-Shara, whose meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House took place, made history as the ‘first visit of a Syrian leader to the White House’ since Syria declared independence in 1946.
Former Syrian ambassador to Washington Bessam Barabandi told Al Arabiya that the visit was ‘not an official state visit, but a private visit.’
According to White House protocol, ‘no official welcome ceremony is held for private visits, national flags are not raised, and the main entrance is not used.’ Therefore, Shara entered through a side door of the White House.
During Shara’s arrival, contrary to usual practice, no press crowd or official ceremony was organized at the White House. The HTŞ leader entered through a side door instead of the main gate of West Wing where cameras were waiting.
“ARMED PAST AS AN ADVANTAGE…”
Following the meeting, Trump shared a photo taken with Shara at the White House on his Truth Social account and stated in his announcement, “We will do everything we can for Syria”.
Trump also told reporters that he sees Shara as a ‘strong leader’ and trusts him. Trump implied that Shara’s past armed history would be an advantage in rebuilding war-torn Syria.
Trump used the phrase, “Shara has a very good relationship with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. We will work together to improve relations between Israel and Syria,”.
Only a year ago, Shara, known by the codename ‘Abu Muhammed el-Colani’, was the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTŞ), a terrorist organization that emerged from Al Qaeda’s Syria branch Jabhat al-Nusra. The US had then declared Shara a “global terrorist” and offered a reward for him. The Washington administration recently removed the organization and Shara from the terror list.
FIRST STEP FROM THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT
One of Shara’s main objectives during his Washington visit was the complete lifting of U.S. sanctions.
U.S. Department of the Treasury announced shortly after the visit that it had extended the exemption under the Caesar Act issued on May 23, 2025 by 180 days. However, full removal of sanctions requires Congressional approval.
As soon as Shara arrived in Washington, he also met with IMF President Kristalina Georgieva to discuss possible economic support options, and he also met with representatives of Syrian civil society. During his meeting with Syrian organizations in Washington, Shara said, “We are nearing the final stage of sanctions; we must continue working for their complete removal,”.
Following the 13-year destructive civil war, the World Bank estimates Syria’s reconstruction will cost 216 billion dollars. This amount is approximately ten times Syria’s 2024 GDP. Therefore, the World Bank emphasizes that the country’s recovery is ‘impossible without international support’.
Fidan also attended the meetings
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced in a press statement that he was invited to part of the meeting between Trump and Shara.
Fidan also separately met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Middle East and Syria special envoys Steve Witkoff and Tom Barrack.
Fidan stated, “American officials know that Syria must remain whole; problems in the south and north of the country pose a ‘separation risk’,”.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry announced that the Assad government ‘supports reaching a security agreement between Israel and Syria.’
This statement followed after a tripartite meeting between the Syrian foreign ministers, Shamara’s Washington visit, involving Foreign Minister Shibani and Fidan.
SHARA: “JIEDA’S CONNECTION DID NOT COME UP”
In a statement to Fox News after the visit, Shara claimed that his links to Al Qaeda are now in the past and that this issue was not discussed during his meeting with Trump.
Shara said, “The U.S. government can assist us in starting some kind of negotiation process with Israel,”. He also stated that his country has entered a ‘completely new phase in its relations with Washington’ and now adopts a different strategy.
According to U.S. media, the meeting discussed the complete lifting of sanctions on Syria; Syria’s official participation in the US-led anti-ISIS coalition; and various political, economic, and security issues.
An American official speaking to Al Arabiya stated that during Shara’s visit, the Syrian government ‘approved joining the anti-ISIS coalition.’
