U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack made a statement regarding the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Syrian Transitional Government President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on November 10.
In a statement on his X account, Barrack said he “had the profound honor of accompanying Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House, where he became the first Syrian Head of State ever to visit since Syria gained its independence in 1946.”
He stated that this week marks a decisive turning point in the modern history of the Middle East – and in the remarkable transformation of Syria from isolation to partnership.
Barrack remarked that President Donald J. Trump and President al-Sharaa reaffirmed a shared conviction to give Syria -and its people- a genuine chance at renewal, adding: “Damascus will now actively assist us in confronting and dismantling the remnants of ISIS, the IRGC, Hamas, Hizballah, and other terrorist networks, and will stand as a committed partner in the global effort to secure peace.”
“I, together with Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, witnessed in the Oval Office President al-Sharaa’s commitment to President Trump to join the D-ISIS coalition, which stands as a historic framework marking Syria’s transition from a source of terrorism to a counterterrorism partner – a commitment to rebuild, to cooperate, and to contribute to the stability of an entire region.”
Barrack stated: “In a pivotal follow-on trilateral session with Secretary Rubio, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan of Turkey, and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani of Syria, we mapped the next phase of the U.S.–Turkish–Syrian framework: integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the new Syrian economic, defense and civic structure, redefining Turkish-Syrian-Israeli relations, and advancing the alignment that underpins the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, as well as various Lebanese border issues.”
“Integration is a process, not an event, and the vision of one man is now shared by many and can become a reality. This is a testament to all the teams across every nation who are the mortar holding these building blocks together,” he added.
Remarking that the next step in truly “giving Syria a chance” is the full repeal of the Caesar Act, Barrack added: “We call upon and urge Congress to take this historic step. We have come far but now need one strong final push to empower the new Syrian government to restart its economic engine and allow the Syrian people and their regional neighbors to not only survive but to thrive.”