Trump announces plan to lift punishing sanctions on Syria

By Betsy Klein, CNN

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (CNN) — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he plans to lift sanctions on Syria following last year’s fall of the Assad regime, saying the move will “give them a chance at greatness.”

Trump said in remarks to a Saudi investment forum in Riyadh that he made the decision after discussing with it Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“Syria, they’ve had their share of travesty, war, killing in many years. That’s why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade,” he said, noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet with Syria’s foreign minister in Turkey “later this week.”

After decades of brutal rule, the Assad regime fell during the Biden administration in December, and Syria’s new leaders have hoped Trump would consider lifting the punishing sanctions on the country.

“The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important — really an important function — nevertheless, at the time. But now it’s their time to shine,” Trump said. “So, I say, ‘Good luck, Syria.’ Show us something very special.”

Trump expressed hope that Syria’s new government “will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country in keeping peace.”

New Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa previously founded a militant group known as Jabhat al-Nusra (“the Victory Front” in English), which pledged allegiance to al Qaeda. But in 2016, he broke away from the terror group, according to the US Center for Naval Analyses.

Trump is expected to informally greet al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, a White House official said earlier Tuesday.

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