Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani arrived in the US capital, Washington, on Thursday, September 18, heading an official delegation on what was described as a “historic” visit — the first by a Syrian foreign minister to the United States in more than 25 years, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry’s media office.
The US news site Axios reported that Shibani will meet several members of Congress at Capitol Hill to discuss US sanctions, particularly the “Caesar Act,” which came into force in June 2020, targeting the former Syrian regime and anyone dealing with it in the energy, construction, and financial sectors.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Axios that Shibani would meet lawmakers to discuss the possibility of permanently repealing the Caesar sanctions. He clarified that his support is conditional on Syria formally joining the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) and reaching a new security agreement with Israel.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted a source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry as saying that successive agreements with Israel will be concluded before the end of this year.
Graham noted that President Donald Trump’s administration has granted temporary exemptions from some sanctions, but a full repeal requires a congressional vote.
Shibani is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, September 19.
Negotiations with Israel
Shibani’s trip to Washington followed a stop in London, where he held five hours of talks with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, in the presence of US envoy Thomas Barrack.
Informed sources told Al Jazeera channel that the meeting achieved “progress” in discussing an Israeli proposal for a new security agreement between the two countries. The Syrian delegation reportedly presented a counterproposal that conditions any agreement on Israel’s withdrawal from areas it seized after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, along with the redeployment of UN peacekeeping forces in the buffer zone.
The source added that Damascus considers any sustainable peace in the region to require addressing the root causes of tension, foremost among them Israel’s ongoing occupation.
Israel’s Channel 12 also reported that the London meeting included Barrack and that the Syrian side submitted its response to the proposed security deal, with talks showing signs of progress.
Expected outcomes in the coming days
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa told reporters in Damascus on Wednesday, September 17, that the ongoing negotiations with Israel could produce results “in the coming days.”
Al-Sharaa said the security agreement is a “necessity” that must respect Syria’s airspace and territorial integrity, subject to UN monitoring.
On Wednesday, Axios cited two informed sources saying Israel had presented Syria with a detailed proposal for a new security deal several weeks ago, including a “map of demilitarized zones” stretching from Damascus to the border with Israel.
After a quarter century
The last comparable visit by a Syrian foreign minister to the United States took place in December 1999, when then-Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa met President Bill Clinton at the White House as part of peace talks with Israel.
Shibani’s current visit comes within the context of US efforts to reshape regional balances, linking potential sanctions relief to a security agreement that ensures Israel’s and America’s interests, at a time when Damascus is seeking to reposition itself after major domestic and regional shifts.
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