Donald Trump to host Syrian leader, once imprisoned by US troops, at White House

President Trump will host Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Washington on Nov. 10. The meeting will mark the first time a Syrian president visits the White House.

The engagement, which has not yet been officially announced, is the latest effort by Damascus to build a relationship with Washington, nearly one year after Bashar Assad's authoritarian regime was overthrown last December.

The last visit to the White House by a senior Syrian official was in December 1999. Then-Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa visited the White House for peace talks with Israel.

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U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack told Axios that al-Sharaa is expected to sign on joining the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS.

The two leaders met in May in Saudi Arabia. It marked the first time leaders of the nations encountered each other in 25 years. During that meeting, Trump- who has sought to ease the new government's transition- urged the Syrian leader to normalise relations with Israel, before praising him on Air Force One.

"Young, attractive guy, tough guy," Trump told reporters. "Strong past, very strong past- fighter. He's got a real shot at holding it together."

At the time, Trump also described their meeting as "great," explaining that the recent regime change in Syria was "positive."

"Recent positive changes and actions taken by the Government of Syria, after the fall of the brutal Assad Regime, demonstrate promise for a stable and peaceful future," the Trump administration said in a fact sheet.

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In early July, the State Department rescinded the foreign terrorist organisation declaration for the al-Nusrah Front, which was headed by al-Sharaa and at some point had connections to al-Qaeda. The group also joined insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian war.

Al-Sharaa was also imprisoned by the U.S. for several years and once had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head.

The visit comes as the Trump administration seeks to build a durable peace in the Middle East. Most notably, the White House has taken a front seat in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, implementing a ceasefire and hostage deal. The agreement, though, remains vulnerable, as Israel attacked Gaza earlier this week, killing 104 people.

Ever since his government was toppled, former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has been in hiding in Russia, where he was granted political asylum with his family by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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