President Donald Trump's special envoy to Syria, Ambassador Thomas Barrack, met with Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus on Thursday. Barrack praised the Islamist-led government and said it was ready for dialogue.
During his visit, his first since taking up the post, Barrack raised the American flag above the ambassador's residence for the first time since the US Embassy was closed in 2012. He emphasized the rapidly expanding ties between Washington and Damascus following Trump's surprise announcement lifting sanctions and his meeting with Syria's new leader.
Video: US flag raised in Damascus. // Reuters
"Syria and Israel is a solvable problem. But it starts with a dialogue," Barrack told a small group of reporters in the Syrian capital. "I'd say we need to start with just a non-aggression agreement, talk about boundaries and borders," he added.
Barrack also announced that Syria would no longer be designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the US, stating the issue was "gone with the Assad regime being finished." However, he noted that Congress has a six-month review period. "America's intent and the president's vision is that we have to give this young government a chance by not interfering, not demanding, by not giving conditions, by not imposing our culture on your culture," said Barrack.
Interim President al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, a former al-Qaida commander, is rapidly steering the country away from its decades-long alignment with Iran and Russia under the Assad dynasty, which maintained volatile relations with the West for over fifty years.
Syria has long been a frontline state in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Israel has held the Golan Heights since the 1967 Six-Day War and seized additional Syrian territory near the border after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December, citing concerns about the jihadist roots of Syria's new rulers.
