Ahmed al-Shara announced that Syria is seeking to establish relations with the U.S.

Ahmed al-Shara, the interim president of Syria, stated that his government intends to revive relations with the United States in the coming days but has not yet made contact with the Donald Trump administration. Ahmed al-Shara, who was declared interim president of Syria last week, noted in an interview with The Economist that American forces are stationed in Syria without permission and that the new government must reach an agreement regarding their presence. He described the U.S. sanctions against Syria, which are still in effect, as the 'greatest threat.' In part of the interview published on Monday evening, February 4, he said, 'I believe President Trump is seeking peace in the region, and lifting the sanctions is a top priority. The United States has no interest in prolonging the suffering of the Syrian people.' He questioned why Europe lifted sanctions against Syria in less than two months. The U.S. and its Western allies have imposed severe sanctions on Syria for years, aimed at isolating and weakening Bashar al-Assad's regime due to its brutal crackdown on opponents and pressuring the previous Syrian government to end the civil war. The Biden administration, in its final days, exempted contact and exchanges with Syrian government entities from existing sanctions for six months following visits by senior American diplomats to Damascus in January this year. Nevertheless, the 'Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham,' the militant and Islamist group led by Ahmed al-Shara, remains on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations. The U.S. embassy in Damascus was closed a year after the civil war began in 2012, and there have been no reports regarding the potential reopening of U.S. diplomatic offices in Syria. In another part of the interview, Ahmed al-Shara stated that following the new Syrian government's decision to dissolve all armed groups fighting against Bashar al-Assad's regime, the listing of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham as a terrorist organization has become 'meaningless.' The U.S. deployed its forces in various parts of Syria at the start of the international operation to defeat ISIS in 2014. Some of these forces are still stationed in northern and northeastern Syria, supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces led by the Kurds. Ahmed al-Shara added, 'Given the formation of the new government, I believe that the illegal deployment of military forces should not continue. The presence of foreign troops in another country should be based on a specific agreement, and such an agreement does not exist between us and the U.S.' He also mentioned that the new government is reviewing the military presence of Russia in Syria. Moscow, which is trying to maintain its naval and air bases in western Syria, sent a delegation of senior officials to Damascus last week. Ahmed al-Shara stated, 'We may reach an agreement with them or not. However, the presence of foreign troops must be with the consent of the host country.' In response to a question about the possibility of normalizing relations with Israel, he said, 'We seek peace with all countries. However, normalizing relations with Israel is a sensitive issue due to regional wars and the occupation of the Golan Heights.' He added, 'The new Syrian government must address multiple urgent issues. It is still too early to address relations with Israel because it depends on public opinion and requires various regulations and laws. I must honestly say that we have not yet put it on the agenda.'