(Headline USA) President Donald Trump welcomed Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa after lifting sanctions imposed on Syria, which had been a pariah state for decades before rebel forces toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad last December.
Al-Sharaa — who once had ties to al-Qaida and had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head — was named interim leader in January.
Trump and al-Sharaa first met in May in Saudi Arabia. Now, Al-Sharaa has become the first Syrian head of state to visit the White House since the Middle Eastern country gained independence from France in 1946.
His priorities include securing a permanent repeal of sanctions that punished Syria for widespread allegations of human rights abuses by Assad’s government and security forces.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.