Syrian leader meets Rubio as country's isolation eases further
NEW YORK
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met on Sept. 22 with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York, expanding relations with the West and further easing his country's isolation as he becomes Syria's first leader to take part in a U.N. high-level meeting in nearly 60 years.
The last time a Syrian head of state attended the U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders was in 1967 — before the 50-year rule of the Assad family dynasty. A lightning insurgent offensive led by al-Sharaa ousted Bashar al-Assad in last December and brought nearly 14 years of civil war to an end.
Since then, Sharaa has sought to restore ties with Arab countries and the West. The rebel group he formerly led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was previously designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist group.
President Donald Trump's administration has erased that designation and eased sanctions long imposed on Syria in a bid to ensure the country becomes a stable player in the Middle East following its global isolation under Assad.
Rubio “underscored this opportunity for Syria to build a stable and sovereign nation following President Trump’s historic announcement earlier this year on sanctions relief for the Syrian people,” the State Department said in a statement.
“They discussed ongoing counterterrorism efforts, efforts to locate missing Americans, and the importance of Israel-Syria relations in achieving greater regional security,” the department said.
However, Sharaa again expressed doubt that Syria would join the Abraham Accords, which saw several Arab states normalize relations with Israel during Trump's first term. That is even as Syria is in talks with the U.S. and Israel over a potential security arrangement that could be finalized as early as this week.
However, some sanctions remain, and the State Department had to waive Assad-era visa restrictions on Syria for al-Sharaa and his delegation so they could participate in the U.N. meeting of world leaders, which kicked off yesterday.
Sharaa urged the United States to remove the remaining sanctions, saying Syria needs help as it comes out of war and crisis.
“The Syrian people should not be killed another time through the sanctions,” he said. “The Syrian people love work. Lift the sanctions, and don’t worry about them.”
He also met in New York with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Gregory Meeks, ranking Democrats on the foreign relations committees.
