Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, said in an interview with the American network Fox News following his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House that relations between Damascus and Washington have entered “a new phase” after decades of rupture and isolation.
Al-Sharaa noted this is the first time a Syrian president has visited the White House since the Syrian Republic was established in the 1940s, adding that the visit marks a strategic shift after the fall of the previous regime and Syria’s entry into a new stage of cooperation with the United States.
He said Syria fought “long wars against the Islamic State over ten years,” losing “many troops,” and argued that any U.S. military presence in Syria should “from now on be coordinated with the Syrian government.”
Asked whether he discussed with President Trump his former designation on U.S. terrorism lists, al-Sharaa said that period “belongs to the past,” adding, “We did not talk about the past, but about the present and the future, and we discussed investment opportunities in Syria and lifting economic sanctions.”
Commenting on his past and any connection to al-Qaeda, al-Sharaa said, “We regret every civilian who lost their life in the wars. Human suffering is what drives us to change.”
Abraham Accords
On the possibility of Syria joining the Abraham Accords, the president said, “Syria’s circumstances differ from those of the countries that signed the agreements,” adding, “We share a border with Israel, which has occupied the Golan Heights (southwestern Syria) since 1967, and we are not entering direct negotiations at present. Perhaps the United States under President Trump can play a role in this file.”
Accountability for war crimes
President al-Sharaa said the Syrian government has established a transitional justice committee to hold accountable those responsible for crimes committed under the former regime, including Bashar al-Assad.
He added that “part of the negotiations with Moscow included demanding the handover of those wanted to Syrian justice, but the Russians have a different position on extraditing criminals.”
The interview also addressed the case of American journalist Austin Tice, missing in Syria since 2012. Al-Sharaa said Syria “has more than 250,000 missing persons” as a result of the war, and that he met “Tice’s mother, a strong woman who went through an experience similar to my mother’s, who lost me for seven years and thought I had died,” adding that he pledged to do everything possible to provide Tice’s family “with sufficient and verified information” about his fate and that of other missing Americans.
At the end of the interview, Fox News anchor Gillian Turner said President al-Sharaa described his meeting with Trump as “wonderful and lasting nearly two hours,” and that he presented Trump with a red hat bearing the campaign slogan “Make America Great Again,” saying he would take it with him to Damascus upon his return.
President al-Sharaa had earlier held a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President J. D. Vance, alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani.
Al-Sharaa in Washington
President al-Sharaa held a closed-door meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at 11 a.m. Washington time, 7 p.m. Damascus time, on Monday, November 10.
The U.S. administration described the visit as a “historic step” that paves the way to test the possibility of returning Damascus to a diplomatic track after more than a decade of war and isolation, according to Fox News on November 10.
The meeting covered files related to the SDF agreement, U.S. sanctions on Syria, and a security arrangement with Israel.
According to the Syrian Presidency, the talks between al-Sharaa and Trump explored ways to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation across various fields, in addition to discussing several regional and international issues of mutual concern.
The talks were attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with other officials from both sides.
President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in the United States on November 8, his second visit to America after attending the 80th United Nations summit in New York.
During his meeting with representatives of Syrian organizations in the United States, al-Sharaa said sanctions on Syria are in their final stages, calling for continued efforts until they are fully lifted. He described the opportunity before Syrians today as “rare” and one that should be seized.
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