The Washington Times: Saudi Arabia arranged the visit of the Syrian president to the White House
The Washington Times revealed that Saudi Arabia was the main maestro behind organizing the visit of Syrian transitional President Ahmed al Sharaa to the White House, scheduled for next week, within the framework of trilateral political coordination between Riyadh, Damascus and Washington aimed at ending Syria’s political isolation and pressuring the US Congress to lift the sanctions imposed on Damascus.
According to the Washington Times, this visit will be the first of its kind in nearly 80 years, making it a historic shift in the regional political landscape.
Sharaa, who moved from the leadership of Hay’at Tahrir al Sham to the internationally recognized presidency of Syria less than a year ago, has now become a prominent political figure in international and economic forums.
The shift in the regional position began in Riyadh last May, after US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, where he called on Arab leaders, saying, give this man a chance, referring to the legitimate president.
The Washington Times report added that Riyadh is leading the new diplomatic path towards Damascus, while Washington provides political cover, in an equation based on role-sharing between Saudi Arabia and the United States, where the former provides financial support and the latter provides international recognition.
The Washington Times quoted US Special Envoy Tom Barrack as saying that there is no alternative plan for Syria other than to reintegrate it into the regional and international systems, referring to the change in US policy towards Damascus.
The Washington Times also explained that the Trump administration is seeking to persuade Congress, especially those who are hesitant in the House of Representatives, to support the project to lift sanctions on Syria, including the Caesar Act, noting that the president currently has a supporting majority in the Senate.
The Syrian president’s visit to Washington will precede the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in a coordinated move that it described as a big political bet, aimed at giving Congress a political justification to lift the remaining sanctions on Damascus.
According to the Washington Times, Saudi Arabia has paid Syria’s arrears to the World Bank, pledged to subsidize the salaries of Syrian public sector employees for several months, in addition to negotiating major infrastructure projects as part of the reconstruction plan.
Riyadh is also seeking a deal to buy 48 F-35 jets, a move it saw as part of its new regional strategy that links economy and politics.
The Washington Times quoted businessman Abdul Hafeez Sharaf, a Syrian-American resident in Washington, as saying that Saudi Arabia has become the de facto guarantor of the new Syrian government, stressing that Riyadh has convinced the US president of the need to lift sanctions, and is currently working to secure a political and economic umbrella to return Syria to the international economic system.
He added that the Syrian president’s appearance alongside the Saudi crown prince and Donald Trump’s son at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh last week was an informal announcement of Syria’s return to the global economy, after the amended investment laws were presented to major investors.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar have committed to financing reconstruction projects and settling Syria’s external debt, while private US capital has begun to move toward the energy, infrastructure and consumption sectors inside Syria.
