Trump will end Syria sanctions to 'give them a chance at greatness'
The White House announced a $142 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman said he'd like to see $1 trillion in Saudi investment in the U.S.
- Syria's new president has reportedly said he is open to a Trump Tower rising in Damascus.
- "In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace," Trump said.
WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump said he will order the end of sanctions against Syria to "give them a chance of greatness" in an effort to normalize relations with the new Syrian government after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Trump made the pledge during May 13 remarks at a U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh as makes his first presidential visit of his second term, a four-day swing through the Middle East.
"Oh, what I do for the crown prince," Trump said, recounting how he arrived at the decision following discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
"The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important function, nevertheless, at the time, but now it's their time to shine. We're taking them all off," Trump said. "So I say, good luck, Syria. Show us something very special, like they've done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia."
The president received a standing ovation after making his Syria announcement, and celebrations broke out in Damascus.
Trump later met Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and told reporters on Air Force One that the Islamist former al-Qaeda fighter was "a real leader."
"He's got a real shot at holding it together," Trump said.
Billions in deals
The White House announced billions of dollars in arms deals and Saudi investments during Trump's stay. The U.S. agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion.
Trump and the Saudi crown prince signed an agreement covering energy, defense and mining.
The agreement covers deals with U.S. defense companies in areas including air and missile defense, air force and space advancement, and maritime security, a White House fact sheet said. The Saudi prince said the deal included investment opportunities worth $600 billion, including agreements worth $300 billion that were signed during Trump's visit.
"We will work in the coming months on the second phase to complete deals and raise it to $1 trillion," Prince Mohammed said.
Trump Tower in Damascus?
Sharaa rose to power after Syrian rebels he led in December forced Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out of Damascus, ending 50 years of tyrannical rule from the al-Assad family.
Al-Sharaa had lobbied for the end of the multilayered U.S. sanctions, which had continued after al-Assad's ouster. The economic sanctions cut off Syria from the global financial system and has made economic recovery extremely challenging after 14 years of grinding war.
"In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace," Trump said.
Among the suggestions Sharaa has pitched for sanction relief and face-to-face time with Trump is a possible Trump Tower in Damascus, according to a report from Reuters, which quoted Jonathan Bass, a U.S. pro-Trump activist, who on April 30 met with Sharaa for four hours in Damascus.
Bass said Sharaa wants a "business deal for the future of his country" that could allow U.S. access to Syria's oil and gas, Syrian cooperation against Iran and engagement with Israel.
"He told me he wants a Trump Tower in Damascus. He wants peace with his neighbors. What he told me is good for the region, good for Israel," Bass said.
The United Nations, which has been pushing countries to lift sanctions on Syria, welcomed the move by Trump.
"It was important for us to see relief on sanctions on Syria to help the reconstruction of Syria, to help the Syrian people recover from more than a decade of conflict, a decade of under investment," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
In addition to Trump's visit with al-Sharaa, Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to meet with Syria's new foreign minister this week in Turkey, Trump said.
Contributing: Reuters. Reach Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.