U.S. removes sanctions on Syrian president ahead of Trump visit

The Trump administration has removed sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa ahead of his meeting with President Trump on Monday.

A notice on the Treasury website posted Friday said the U.S. has removed the Specially Designated Global Terrorist designations on Mr. al-Sharaa and Syria’s interior minister, Anas Khattab. The notice did not provide a reason or any more information.

Mr. al-Sharaa, whose Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December, was affiliated with Al Qaeda for many years. He was sought for prosecution as a terrorist and had a $10 million bounty on his head.

He cut ties with al Qaeda several years ago.

The removal of sanctions follows Mr. Trump’s executive order in May that lifted most of the U.S. economic sanctions on Syria. Mr. Trump scrapped decades of U.S. policy toward Syria and lifted the sanctions on a surprise trip to the Middle East, where he met with Mr. al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia.

The stiff U.S. sanctions imposed during the harsh rule of Mr. al-Assad, which dates back more than 20 years, kept would-be investors on the sidelines. Syria’s Arab neighbors and others have been eagerly awaiting to begin reconstructing Syria, a project that would create a financial windfall for developers.

It would also help to stabilize a country that has long exported terrorism and illegal drugs.

On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council voted to remove Mr. al-Sharaa from a terrorism sanctions list. The resolution was drafted and advanced by the U.S., and it passed with 14 Security Council members voting in its favor. China abstained from the vote.

As part of that resolution, the United Nations removed sanctions on Mr. Khattab as well.

In July, the State Department revoked the $10 million bounty on Mr. al-Sharra and revoked the terrorist designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Mr. al-Sharra on Monday will be the first Syrian president to visit the White House, where he is expected to join a coalition to fight the Islamic State, a designated terrorist organization.