Mr. Sharaa goes to Washington

 

James discusses Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington on ANews.

 

To watch the interview, go to https://jamesmdorsey.substack.com/p/mr-sharaa-goes-to-washington

Transcript

[Anchor] And now we are going to have another guest, James M. Dorsey is joining us here on ANEWS to answer my question about the latest situations that is unfolding in the international world at the moment. James, thank you so much for joining us.

[James M. Dorsey] Always a pleasure to be with you. Thank you for having me.

[Anchor] Thank you. Well, we have been talking about Ahmad al-Sharif's visit to White House and symbolic shift for new Syria. So what is your thoughts about this Sharif's visit to Washington signifying for U.S.-Syria relations after years of hostility?

[James M. Dorsey] Well, obviously it's very significant. It's historic. It's historic in different ways.

It's historic in terms of this being the first Syrian president to visit Washington, but it's also historic given Ahmad al-Sharif's background and the fact that he has a jihadist history and yet has increasingly gotten Western endorsement since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad. For Ahmad al-Sharif, or for both sides, the stakes are high. For Ahmad al-Sharif, the stakes are first and foremost economic.

He needs assistance. He needs aid. He needs investment.

Syria is a war-ravaged country after more than 10 years of civil strife. But on the other hand, there's probably a price that President Trump will want to extract. The price is twofold.

The first part is relatively easy for Ahmad al-Sharif, and that is participating in a coalition against the Islamic State or the remnants of the Islamic State, which are still powerful in Syria. More complicated are arrangements with Israel. Ahmad al-Sharif has made very clear that he does not want conflict with Israel and that he's willing to come to security arrangements.

But what Trump would like to see is far more. He would like to see Ahmad al-Sharif joining the Abraham Accords. In other words, recognising Israel and establishing diplomatic relations.

And that's going to be very difficult, in part because of Gaza, of course, but also given the fact that Israel occupies not only lands it has moved into since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, but it occupies the Golan Heights, which Trump has recognised as part of Israel.

[Anchor] Well, let's talk about Syria cracking down on Daesh, Ahmad al-Sharif's White House visit, as well as we have been talking about the optics, we have been talking about how it is a significant process, and you have said it is a historic moment. So what message do you think that is Syria trying to send Washington by intensifying its fights against Daesh, Ahmad al-Sharif's visit, in your opinion?

[James M. Dorsey] I think that Ahmad al-Sharif is sending the message that Syria is a moderate Arab state. With other words, it is no longer tied to Iran. It is no longer tied to groups like Hezbollah.

It is interested in coming to arrangements with Israel. The conditions on which it is willing to do so are essentially mainstream Arab. With other words, an end to the Gaza War, a credible and irrevocable pathway towards an independent Palestinian state, and in addition to that, security arrangements.

Keep in mind that since Ahmad al-Sharif's office, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, first and foremost to emasculate the Syrian military, but also to prevent the Syrian military from moving south of Damascus. Israel has projected itself as the protector of Syrian minorities, the Druze in the south, on whose behalf it says it has intervened several times, but also of the Kurds and the Alawites. You recently had a meeting in Tel Aviv of Syrian minority representatives, most of them in exile, which included Alawites, Kurds, Druze, Yazidis and others.

[Anchor] Well, James, thank you so much for answering my questions and thank you so much for joining us here on A News. This was an important situation, as you have put it so nicely, that this meeting is probably going to be something historic between the United States and Syria, if not the Middle East and the West as well. Thank you so much for joining us.

[James M. Dorsey] Thank you for having me.