Complex road ahead to free Syria

Trump's pledge to lift sanctions won't be an easy task.

- By Sam Dagher

US President Donald Trump says he's ready to ease sanctions on Syria. He won't be able to do it quickly.

The American leader sat down with Syrian counterpart Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday — the first meeting between heads of the two countries in 25 years — after unexpectedly saying he would drop all sanctions against the war-ravaged country and even look to normalise relations.

The move was seen as a highlight of Trump's trip to the Arabian Peninsula last week, but actual implementation will be a protracted and thorny challenge.

The White House also made clear it's not a one-way street, saying the president urged Mr Sharaa to take steps in return, including helping to fight terrorism and agreeing ties with Israel.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will have to wade through layers of strict restrictions imposed on Syria over the past 45 years — covering everything from finance to energy — and met his counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani on Thursday in Turkey.

For starters, Mr Trump plans to seek a 180-day waiver to sanctions imposed by Congress, with the longer-term goal of removing the restrictions entirely, Mr Rubio told reporters on Thursday.

Just before Syria's longtime leader, Bashar al-Assad, was overthrown in December, the US renewed the 2019 Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which penalises almost anyone who does business with Syria.