Donald Trump calls on Damascus to normalize relations with Israel after sanctions lift announcement

Immediately upon arriving in Qatar after a visit to Saudi Arabia, the American president also announced that the airline Qatar Airways had placed an order for 160 planes worth 200 billion dollars with Boeing.

He is due to travel to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, the final stop on his Gulf tour, unless he decides at the last minute to go to Turkey for Russian-Ukrainian talks, a "possibility" he has mentioned.

The meeting with the Syrian interim president "went very well," Donald Trump told reporters on the plane, describing him as "a young, attractive man. A tough guy."

The laudatory portrait is striking for a man who was once on a list of criminals wanted by the United States, who became interim president after overthrowing Bashar al-Assad in December at the head of a coalition of Islamist forces.

Donald Trump has assured that the Syrian leader is ready to grant his request for normalization of relations with Israel, with which Syria has been officially at war since 1948.

Asked about this, the US president said: "I told him, I hope you will rejoin (the Abraham Accords, editor's note) once you have resolved your situation and he said 'yes'. But they have a lot of work to do," referring to the agreements by which several Arab countries recognized Israel in 2020.

In Syria, the prospect of lifting the sanctions that are strangling the country has sparked spontaneous demonstrations of joy.

"This will stimulate the economy and encourage people to return," said Zain al-Jabali, 54, owner of a soap factory in Aleppo (north).

"A chance for greatness"

The meeting, the first of its kind in 25 years, lasted nearly 30 minutes and was attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who joined virtually.

The US president also called on Damascus to expel members of Palestinian armed groups and to take "responsibility" for prisons holding members of the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria, which are currently being taken over by Kurdish forces.

Syrian diplomacy spoke of a "historic meeting," without mentioning relations with Israel.

Donald Trump surprised everyone on Tuesday by announcing that he would "order the lifting of sanctions" to give Syria "a chance at greatness."

The country has been subject to international sanctions since 1979, which were reinforced after Bashar al-Assad's government cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011.

The Trump-Shareh meeting took place despite the reluctance of Israel, a staunch ally of the United States.

Israel regularly carries out strikes in Syria, which it says is intended to prevent the weapons of the deposed government from falling into the hands of the new authorities, which it considers hostile.

"Man of peace"

In Doha, Donald Trump received a welcome just as glowing as in Riyadh.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, traveled to the airport to welcome him, and the US presidential plane was escorted by Qatari fighter jets.

Donald Trump's convoy was then preceded by Tesla Cybertrucks in the colors of the Qatari security forces, a nod to the brand's owner and close ally of the president, Elon Musk.

In a first exchange with the Qatari leader, the Republican president praised the "perfect marble" of the palace where he was received, and praised the "friendship" with his host.

The latter described him as a "man of peace."

But this visit to Doha has a political scandal as its backdrop.

The Democratic opposition in the United States accuses the billionaire of having accepted "the largest foreign bribe in recent history."

The reason: a Boeing 747-8 given to Donald Trump by the Qatari royal family to replace his at least temporarily, and to use it after his term.