'Show us something special,' Trump says to Syria as he agrees to lift raft of sanctions

Gulf leaders have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and want Trump to follow, believing it is a bulwark against Iran's return to influence in Syria, where it had helped prop up the al-Assad regime during a decade-long civil war.

US President Donald Trump has said he will move to normalise relations with Syria's new government and lift sanctions to give the country "a chance at peace."Trump was set to meet with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, the onetime insurgent who last year led offensive that overthrew long-time leader Bashar al-Assad.Trump said the effort at rapprochement came at the urging of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan."There is a new government that will hopefully succeed," Trump said about Syria, adding, "I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special."The developments are a major boost for the Syrian president who at one point was imprisoned in Iraq for his role in the insurgency following the 2003 US-led invasion of the country.Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a lightning offensive by insurgent groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that stormed Damascus ending the 54-year rule of the al-Assad family.The US has been weighing how to handle al-Sharaa since he took power.Gulf leaders have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and want Trump to follow, believing it is a bulwark against Iran's return to influence in Syria, where it had helped prop up the al-Assad regime during a decade-long civil war.Former US President Joe Biden left the decision to Trump, whose administration has yet to formally recognise the new Syrian government.Sanctions imposed on Damascus under al-Assad also remain in place."The President agreed to say hello to the Syrian President while in Saudi Arabia tomorrow," the White House said before Trump's remarks.A change of toneThe comments mark a striking change in tone from Trump and put him at odds with longtime US ally Israel, which has been deeply sceptical of al-Sharaa's extremist past and cautioned against swift recognition of the new government.Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, al-Sharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaeda insurgents battling US forces in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003 and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq.Al-Sharaa, whom the US once offered $10 million (€8.9 million) for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al-Qaeda, came back to his home country after the conflict began in 2011 where he led al-Qaeda’s branch that used to be known as the Nusra Front.He later changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and cut links with al-Qaeda.Al-Sharaa is set to become the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since the late Hafez al-Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.Syria has historically had fraught relations with Washington since the days of the Cold War when Damascus had close links with the Soviet Union and later when Syria became Iran’s closest ally in the Arab world.The removal of the al-Assad family could change that track.London-based Syrian analyst Ibrahim Hamidi said Trump's meeting with al-Sharaa marks a "strategic shift" in the country with Iran forced to leave and Russia, which also backed al-Assad and now gives him sanctuary, weakened."The Syrian-American meetings in Riyadh open the gate for the two sides to start discussing disagreements issues between them with an atmosphere of dialogue," said Hamidi editor-in-chief of Arab magazine, Al Majalla. "This is important."