Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa sees an opportunity to rebuild Syria following US President Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on the country, announced on Tuesday, a statement shared by US Congressman Marlin Stutzman of Indiana in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Thursday
“This is an opportunity that President Sharaa should seize to transform Syria into a free and prosperous nation,” Stutzman said.
He believes that easing sanctions could help the country’s reconstruction process, which has suffered years of war.
Sharaa wants change in Syria
Stutzman was the first US congressman to visit Damascus, the capital of Syria, since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December.
During his visit in April, he spoke with Sharaa and said the Syrian president is committed to changing the country.
Asked why he postponed the elections for five years, Sharaa explained that many Syrians are scattered around the world due to the conflict.
“He said it will take time for these people to return, rebuild their lives and for the country to create a system that allows for free and fair elections,” Stutzman said.
Reducing the influence of terrorist groups and Iran
Sharaa also said he is working to reduce the influence of terrorist groups in Syria, such as Hezbollah, and limit Iran’s presence in the country.
According to Stutzman, the Syrian president said he is helping Israel and the West by pushing Hezbollah away and reducing Iran’s impact.
“He mentioned that he may keep an Iranian embassy in Syria, but he will limit the number of visas for Iranians entering the country,” the congressman explained.
Possibility of an agreement with Israel
Regarding a possible peace agreement with Israel, Sharaa mentioned the Golan Heights, a region occupied by Israel since 1967.
He indicated that he is open to negotiating something about this area.
However, the Syrian president believes that Israel has a plan to divide Syria, which, for him, would be unacceptable.
Stutzman said he does not know if this information is true, but that this issue was an obstacle in the talks.
According to Channel 12, Israel has been holding ‘secret talks? with senior officials of the Syrian government over the last few days, regarding the possibility of Syria joining the Abraham Accords, with this report coming less than 24 hours after U.S. President Donald J. Trump? pic.twitter.com/8KEDQL9VFV
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 15, 2025
Sanctions suspended, but with conditions
Despite Trump’s decision to suspend sanctions, Stutzman warned that Sharaa should not celebrate too soon.
“If Sharaa’s government does not fulfill the promises made, sanctions may return,” the congressman highlighted.
Israel tried to prevent the suspension of sanctions
Behind the scenes, Israel pressured the United States to maintain sanctions against Syria, but Trump was not convinced.
The US president told reporters that he had spoken with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who supported lifting sanctions to give Syria a chance to recover.
Stutzman acknowledged Israel’s concerns: “Israelis have every right to be cautious, given that they live with the constant threat of attack.” Still, he believes lifting sanctions could be an important step toward peace in the Middle East, promoting economic progress rather than conflict.
An experiment for the future
The congressman described lifting sanctions as an “experiment.” He believes that the interests of the United States and Israel are aligned in supporting Sharaa to integrate into the international community and seek peace with Israel.
“Some people don’t want Syria to succeed,” Stutzman said.
“I hope Sharaa chooses to align with the West and Israel, which want peace and prosperity.” This text has been rewritten in a clear and accessible way, maintaining the main ideas of the original article, so that anyone can understand the context and the information presented.
Published in 05/16/2025 00h29
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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