New York: At a summit in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa expressed hope for security talks with Israel, while casting doubt on Syria joining the Abraham Accords. Sharaa, visiting New York for the UN General Assembly, emphasized the importance of a security deal to ease tensions with Israel but was skeptical about normalizing relations.
According to France24.com, Sharaa, a former al Qaeda leader who led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December, is set to deliver the first address by a Syrian leader to the General Assembly in decades. Syrian officials aim to reach military and security agreements with Israel by the end of the year, despite ongoing regional tensions.
Sharaa questioned Israel's intentions, citing previous peace agreement violations with Egypt and Jordan and expressed concerns over Israel's actions in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, suggested a potential for peace following a military campaign against Hezbollah.
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Sharaa met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The meeting, held at Rubio's Manhattan hotel, was a closed-door affair with no public statements made by either party.
Sharaa reiterated his call for the US to lift sanctions imposed under the 2019 Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act during a separate summit in New York. He highlighted the adverse effects of these sanctions on the Syrian people and acknowledged former President Donald Trump's previous move to lift most sanctions. Sharaa urged the US Congress to fully remove the sanctions, arguing they were outdated and harmed the Syrian populace.
In an interview with retired General David Petraeus, Sharaa emphasized Syria's potential for economic growth and called for the lifting of sanctions to allow the country's diverse workforce to thrive.