[Source/Observer Network Chen Sijia] According to a May 11 Reuters report, Syrian Acting President Ahmed Shara is attempting to persuade the United States to lift sanctions on Syria. Several sources revealed that Shara is considering building a Trump Tower in Damascus, improving relations with Israel, and allowing the U.S. access to Syria's oil and gas resources in order to secure an opportunity for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Last week, American businessman and loyal supporter of Trump, Jonathan Bass (Jonathan Bass), visited Damascus for a more than four-hour meeting with Shara. Bass tried to arrange a meeting between Trump and Shara to ease tensions between the Trump administration and the new Syrian government and reduce the tense situation between Syria and Israel.

Bass disclosed that Shara hopes to reach several business deals, which may cover energy development, cooperation against Iran, and easing tensions between Syria and Israel, "He told me he wants to build a Trump Tower in Damascus. He hopes to live in peace with neighboring countries, and he told me his plans are beneficial for this region and also good for Israel."

It is expected that Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates this week. On local time May 11, Shara met with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed. A source said that it is still possible for Trump and Shara to meet in Saudi Arabia, but there is no confirmation whether Shara has received an invitation, "We can only know if the meeting will happen at the last minute."

Syrian Acting President Ahmed Shara Visual China

Reuters pointed out that given Trump's tight schedule and the lack of consensus within the Trump administration on how to deal with the Syrian issue, the outside world generally believes that the possibility of Trump meeting with Shara this week is low. Another source said that during Trump's visit to the Middle East, a high-level meeting between Syria and the United States will be held, but it will not be a meeting between Trump and Shara.

After the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Western countries including the United States imposed severe economic sanctions on Syria, isolating the country from the global financial system. After the collapse of the Assad government, the new Syrian government called on Western countries to lift the sanctions to revive the economy devastated by the 14-year-long war.

Previously, Reuters reported that in March this year, the United States submitted a list to Syria, listing conditions required for the new Syrian government to meet, including cooperation in counter-terrorism, destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles, ensuring that foreign terrorists do not hold senior government positions, among other conditions, in exchange for partial lifting of sanctions by the United States.

Three sources disclosed that the United States has yet to determine its policy toward Syria, but the Trump administration is viewing the relationship with Syria from a counter-terrorism perspective. Two of these sources said that during a meeting last month, U.S. officials told Syrian Interim Foreign Minister Assad Shebani that the U.S. believed Syria had not taken sufficient measures, particularly failing to remove "foreign combatants" from senior military positions.

The sources told Reuters that shortly afterward, the U.S. Treasury Department conveyed additional conditions to the Syrian interim government, increasing the total number to over a dozen.

The U.S. State Department refused to disclose the participants of this meeting and said it would not comment on non-public diplomatic discussions. White House National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt said that the actions taken by the Syrian interim government will determine whether the U.S. will lift sanctions or provide support in the future.

In addition, Syria is also trying to convey the message that it "does not pose a threat to Israel," which is another key purpose for Shara to seek contact with the U.S. government. Since the collapse of the Assad government, Israel has intensified its airstrikes against Syria, and Israeli ground forces have occupied large areas of southern Syrian territory.

American businessman Bass disclosed that during last week's indirect negotiations between Syria and Israel, Shara asked him to pass messages between the two countries, hoping to facilitate direct meetings between Israeli and Syrian officials. However, Israel quickly resumed its airstrikes against Syria and attacked areas near the Damascus presidential palace on the night of May 2.

"Shara extended an olive branch to Israel, and Israel responded with missiles. We need Trump's help to ease this relationship," Bass said.

The Wall Street Journal noted that since returning to the White House, Trump rarely mentioned the Syrian issue publicly. The Middle East envoy appointed by Trump, Whitaker, described Shara as "someone different from before." As of December last year, the U.S. had deployed 2,000 soldiers in Syria, but the Pentagon said last month that it was preparing to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Syria to less than 1,000.

This article is an exclusive piece by the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7503530527157174821/

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