During a meeting in Riyadh attended by Bin Salman… Trump called on Ahmed al Sharaa to “deport Palestinian terrorists” and take charge of ISIS detention centers

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al Sharaa, to deport “Palestinian terrorists” from his country, during a meeting between them in Riyadh.

A White House statement said, “President Trump encouraged President al-Sharaa to do a great job for the Syrian people and urged him to deport Palestinian terrorists”.

During the decades of rule by the Assad family, Syria hosted many Palestinian factions opposed to Israel, most notably Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command.

Trump also called on al Sharaa on Wednesday to take responsibility for ISIS detention centers in northeastern Syria during a meeting between the two in Riyadh.

A White House statement said, “President Trump encouraged President al Sharaa to do a great job for the Syrian people and urged him to take responsibility for the ISIS detention centers in northeastern Syria,” which hold thousands of fighters and families of the jihadist group that seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria years ago.

US President Donald Trump met with Syrian transitional President Ahmed al Sharaa in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday morning, in the first meeting between the two leaders.

The White House reported this, without immediately providing any further details about the meeting.

A White House official had previously stated that Trump had agreed to meet with al Sharaa during his visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who participated via videoconference.

Also, in attendance were US Secretary of State Mark Rubio and his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al Shaibani.

In a speech at the Gulf-US summit, the US President said, “The United States is considering normalizing relations with Syria after meeting with al Sharaa,” stressing that his decision to lift sanctions on Syria was intended to give the country a new opportunity.

The Syrian Foreign Minister commented on the meeting between Trump and Sharaa, saying, “We share this achievement with the Syrian people who sacrificed to restore Syria to its former glory,” emphasizing that work has begun “toward a great Syria”ю

For its part, the Turkish presidency confirmed that Erdogan attended an online meeting with the leaders of the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, and emphasized his desire for Syria to be a stable country that works with regional countries and doesn’t pose a threat to its neighbors.

From his part, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed, during the quadripartite meeting with his American and Syrian counterparts, and the Saudi Crown Prince, that Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria is of historic importance.

The Turkish president affirmed, during the meeting, Türkiye’s continued support for Damascus in its war against terrorist organizations, primarily ISIS.

The White House confirmed earlier today that Trump would meet with al Sharaa ahead of the Gulf-US summit.

For his part, the White House said that Trump asked al Sharaa to help the United States prevent the return of ISIS.

The White House added that Trump called on al Sharaa to join the Abraham Accords with Israel and to deport what he described as “Palestinian terrorists,” according to the previous source.

The Syrian transitional president informed his US counterpart that he invites American companies to invest in Syria’s oil and gas sector, according to the White House.

White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said Trump told Sharaa he had a great opportunity to accomplish something historic for his country and urged him to take responsibility for ISIS detention centers in northeastern Syria.

Reuters reported on Monday, citing informed sources, that Sharaa wants a business deal for his country that includes the construction of a tower bearing the US president’s name in Damascus.

The sources said the deal also includes granting the United States access to Syria’s oil and gas resources, easing tensions with Israel, and cooperating against Iran.

This comes after Trump announced the lifting of sanctions on Damascus during his speech at the Saudi-US Investment Forum on Tuesday, a move welcomed by the Syrian government and Arab countries and considered a major shift in US policy.

Its noteworthy that the last meeting between an American and Syrian president was held a quarter century ago in Geneva, when former US President Bill Clinton met with the late President Hafez al Assad in 2000.