US President Donald Trump has vowed to do everything he can to make Syria successful after landmark talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander who until recently was sanctioned by Washington as a foreign terrorist.
Sharaa's visit capped a stunning year for the rebel-turned-ruler who toppled longtime autocratic leader Bashar al-Assad and has since traveled the world trying to depict himself as a moderate leader who wants to unify his war-ravaged nation and end its decades of international isolation.
One of Sharaa's chief aims in Washington was to push for full removal of the toughest US sanctions. While he met with Trump behind closed doors, the US Treasury Department announced a 180-day extension of its suspension of enforcement of the so-called Caesar sanctions, but only the US Congress can lift them entirely.
Trump met with Sharaa in the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to Washington, six months after their first meeting in Saudi Arabia, where the US leader announced plans to lift sanctions, and just days after the US said he was no longer a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist."
In an unusually muted welcome, Sharaa, who once had a $US10 million ($A15 million) US bounty on his head, arrived without the fanfare usually given to foreign dignitaries. He entered through a side door where reporters only got a glimpse instead of through the West Wing main door where cameras often capture Trump greeting VIPs.
Speaking to reporters, Trump praised Sharaa as a "strong leader" and voiced confidence in him.Â
"We'll do everything we can to make Syria successful," he said.
But Trump also gave a nod to Sharaa's controversial past. "We've all had rough pasts," he said.
Sharaa later told Fox News his association with the militant group was a matter of the past and was not discussed in his meeting with Trump.
Syria was now seen as a geopolitical ally of Washington and not a threat, Sharaa said.
Promising "continued sanctions relief," the Treasury Department announced a new order to replace its May 23 waiver on enforcement of the 2019 Caesar Act, which imposed sweeping sanctions over human rights abuses under Assad. The move essentially extended the waiver by another 180 days.
Sharaa, 43, took power last year after his Islamist fighters launched a lightning offensive and overthrew longtime Syrian President Assad just days later on December 8.
Syria has since moved at a dizzying pace, away from Assad's key allies Iran and Russia and toward Turkey, the Gulf - and Washington.
Security was also expected to be a top focus of Sharaa's meeting with Trump, who in a major US policy shift has sought to help Syria's fragile transition.
The US is brokering talks on a possible security pact between Syria and Israel, which remains wary of Sharaa's former militant ties. Reuters reported last week that the US is planning to establish a military presence at a Damascus airbase.