Syrian FM visits Washington after al-Sharaa says Israel talks could soon yield results

 

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani is in Washington this week to discuss the lifting of remaining US sanctions on his country, Senator Lindsey Graham said, according to Axios.

Axios also reported that Shibani is expected to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Shibani's visit.

The announcement of the foreign minister's visit comes after remarks by the Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday that Syria's negotiations with Israel to reach a security agreement could lead to results "in the coming days."

These remarks were made following Wednesday's meeting between Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in efforts to reach an agreement that Damascus hopes will secure an end to Israeli airstrikes and the withdrawal of Israeli troops who have pushed into southern Syria.

Graham told Axios that he and other senators are due to meet Shibani on Thursday to discuss the permanent lifting of certain sanctions authorized by legislation, including the Caesar Act. Graham said he would support the cancelling of those sanctions if Syria officially moved toward a new security deal with Israel and joined a coalition against the Islamic State extremist group.

Despite Wednesday's meeting and Washington’s efforts to broker a deal, officials concluded that an agreement was not expected next week, nor was a meeting anticipated between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

One of the senior officials had said after the meeting between Dermer and Shaibani that “A breakthrough under US pressure to showcase an achievement is also a possibility, but at this stage, the chances are low. Right now, it doesn’t look realistic.”

The proposed deal reportedly included an Israeli withdrawal from areas seized after December 8, 2024, except for two military points atop Mount Hermon, a postponement of the Golan Heights question, Syrian commitments to limit Iran-linked activity and prevent attacks on Israel from Syrian territory, and Israeli pledges not to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs while recognizing the government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The primary sticking point in the talks concerned control over the buffer zone in southern Syria, according to i24NEWS sources.