Syria’s de facto leader hails Trump, hopes to improve ties By Reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) – The head of the Syrian government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, thanked the President of the United States, Donald Trump, for his statement on Monday, saying that he expects to improve relations between the two countries.

“We hope that he is the leader who will bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region,” he said.

The United States, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in 2011 after pro-democracy protests erupted into civil war.

In early January, Washington granted sanctions relief for dealings with the Syrian regime for six months in order to limit the flow of humanitarian aid.

Syria welcomed the move, but called for the full lifting of sanctions to support its recovery.