WASHINGTON – Ahmad al-Sharaa (ahk-MAWD al SHAH-rah) will be the first Syrian president to visit Washington since the country’s independence in 1946. Reporter Bernie Bennett has details. VERBATIM: Since rebel forces ousted former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December, al-Sharaa has gone on a charm offensive to establish new ties with countries that had shunned […]
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Syrian President Visits White House
WASHINGTON – Ahmad al-Sharaa (ahk-MAWD al SHAH-rah) will be the first Syrian president to visit Washington since the country’s independence in 1946. Reporter Bernie Bennett has details.
VERBATIM:
Since rebel forces ousted former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December, al-Sharaa has gone on a charm offensive to establish new ties with countries that had shunned Assad’s government after its brutal crackdown on protesters in 2011 spiraled into a 14-year civil war.
Al-Sharaa met with President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia in May, where Mr. Trump announced that he would lift decades of sanctions.
The two men will meet again on Monday in Washington, where Syria is widely expected to officially join the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group.
Bernie Bennett in Washington.