President Trump on Tuesday said he would order an end to sanctions on Syria in place since 1979, and the White House said he would briefly meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharra on Thursday, a dramatic about-turn in U.S. policy toward a man who until recently led a group the United States labeled a terrorist organization.
"There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace," Trump said to extended applause at an investment conference in Riyadh, where he made the first major foreign policy address of his second term.
Until earlier this year, Sharaa led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — a group linked to al-Qaeda — which overthrew Bashar al-Assad's government. Sharaa was named head of a new interim government in January and has worked since then to build international legitimacy.