US, Syria eye ties reset as leaders meet

WASHINGTON — United States President Donald Trump met with Syrian interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, widely seen as a crucial step in normalizing US-Syria relations.

No reporters and cameras were allowed access to the meeting in the Oval Office.

The permanent repeal of US sanctions is top priority for Syria, while the US is focusing on bringing Damascus into the US-led global coalition fighting the Islamic State group, officials from both countries revealed before the Monday talks.

Trump waived the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria for 180 days when he met Sharaa for the first time in Saudi Arabia in May, but a permanent repeal would require Congress to act.

Syria has launched a large-scale security operation across several provinces to track down Islamic State cells, Syria's interior authorities said on Saturday, when Sharaa arrived in Washington.

Sharaa's visit is "part of the president's efforts in diplomacy to meet with anyone around the world in the pursuit of peace", said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Ahead of Sharaa's arrival, the United Nations Security Council voted on Thursday to remove Sharaa and Syrian interim interior minister Anas Khattab from the Islamic State and al-Qaida sanctions list. The White House followed suit the next day.

Xinhua