Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa

The US first removed Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara from the terrorism blacklist. After this, on Saturday, Shara has reached America on a historic official tour. Information about his visit was given by the Syrian government news agency. Shara will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. This is the first such official visit of the Syrian President to the US since the country’s independence in 1946.

The acting leader met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US President’s regional visit in May. US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said earlier this month that Syria was expected to sign the deal to join the international US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS).

US will build a military base near Damascus

The US is planning to set up a military base near Damascus to coordinate humanitarian aid and monitor developments between Syria and Israel. A diplomatic source in Syria gave this information to AFP.

What will be the benefits of meeting?

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Shaara’s government was meeting US demands, including cooperating in efforts to locate missing Americans and eliminating remaining chemical weapons.

These steps are being taken in recognition of the progress the Syrian leadership has shown since the departure of Bashar al-Assad and the end of more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime, Piggott said.

The spokesperson further said that the US removal of names from the blacklist will promote regional security and stability, as well as support an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.

Addressed the United Nations General Assembly

Shara’s visit to Washington comes after her historic visit to the United Nations in September. It was his first time on American soil — where he made history as the first Syrian president to address the UN General Assembly in decades. On Thursday, Washington led a vote in the Security Council to lift UN sanctions on Syria.

Shaara’s organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was earlier associated with al-Qaeda, was recently removed from the list of terrorist organizations by Washington in July.

Shara is expected to seek financial aid for Syria, which faces huge reconstruction challenges after 13 years of brutal civil war. In October, the World Bank gave a conservative best estimate of the cost of Syria’s reconstruction at $216 billion.