Syrian president arrives in Washington on official visit

KABUL (Pajhwok): Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has arrived in Washington, the capital of the United States, for an official visit and is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump, reports Al Jazeera.

The broadcaster said al-Sharaa arrived in the US capital late on Saturday and would meet Trump at the White House on Monday.

It is the first visit by a Syrian president to the United States since the country’s independence in 1946, analysts noted.

Al-Sharaa, who met Trump for the first time in Riyadh in May, was removed from a US “terrorist” sanctions list on Friday.

US envoy for Syrian affairs Tom Barrack said earlier this month that al-Sharaa was expected to sign an agreement for Syria to join the US-led international coalition against ISIL.

The report added that Washington was preparing to establish a military base in Damascus to implement a security agreement between Syria and Israel, mediated by the United States.

Meanwhile, al-Sharaa aims to secure financial assistance for Syria’s reconstruction after 13 years of devastating civil war.

The World Bank has estimated the cost of rebuilding Syria at no less than $216 billion, calling it a “conservative estimate.”

kk