Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is planned to visit Washington on November 10 and is expected to meet President Trump at the White House, U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack told Axios.
Why it matters: It will be the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House and another key step in rebuilding U.S.-Syrian relations.
- Barrack said al-Sharaa is expected to sign during his visit an agreement on joining the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS.
Driving the news: The Trump administration said earlier this week that it supports Congress permanently removing the "Caesar sanctions" that are imposed on Syria.
- The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, named after a Syrian military defector who smuggled out photos of torture victims, is a U.S. law that took effect in June 2020.
- It targeted the Assad regime and anyone doing business with it, especially in sectors like energy, construction, and finance.
- The Trump administration issued temporary waivers for these sanctions but only Congress can vote to cancel them.
Flashback: The last visit to the White House by a senior Syrian official was in December 1999. Then-Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa visited the White House for peace talks with Israel.
What to watch: Barrack noted that a fifth round of direct negotiations between Israel and Syria, mediated by the United States, is expected to take place after al-Sharaa's visit to Washington.
- He stressed the U.S. goal is reaching a security agreement on the border between the two countries by the end of the year.
Go deeper: Israel presented Syria with proposal for new security agreement
