Trump to meet Sharaa at White House, capping major turnaround for Syria

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's White House meeting with US President Donald Trump on Monday caps a stunning year for the rebel-turned-ruler who toppled a longtime autocratic leader and has since toured the world as he seeks to end Syria's international isolation.

Trump is set to welcome Sharaa in the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House, six months after the pair first met in Saudi Arabia.

Sharaa, 42, took power last year after overthrowing longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad just days later on December 8.

Security is likely to be a top focus of the meeting on Monday.

The US is brokering talks between Syria and Israel on a possible security pact, and Reuters reported that the US is planning to establish a military presence at a Damascus airbase.

Syria is also set to join a US-led coalition to fight IS, which could be formally announced at Monday's White House meeting.

LAST SANCTIONS HURDLE

Days before the meeting, Trump told reporters at the White House that "a lot of progress has been made" on Syria.

"I think he's (Sharaa's) doing a very good job. It's a tough neighbourhood, and he's a tough guy, but I got along with him very well," Trump said.

After Sharaa and Trump met in Riyadh in May, Trump announced he would lift all sanctions on Syria.

But the toughest measures, known as the Caesar Sanctions Act, require a repeal from Congress. The White House and State Department have publicly backed lifting them before 2025 ends, but experts say the government shutdown may affect that time frame.

Sharaa is expected to strongly advocate for a repeal, which will help spur global investment in a country ravaged by 14 years of war and which the World Bank estimates will take more than $200 billion to rebuild.

Syria's social fabric has been more recently tested. New bouts of sectarian violence left more than 2,500 dead since Assad's fall, deepening civil war wounds and putting into question the new rulers' ability to govern for all Syrians.