STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, visits the White House today. It's the first visit by a Syrian president since the country's independence almost 80 years ago, and it's a big journey for this Syrian leader. Correspondent Jane Arraf covers Syria. We have found her next door in Jordan. Hi there, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: Hi, Steve.
INSKEEP: What makes this visit such a big deal?
ARRAF: Well, it's an absolutely astounding political transformation, for one thing, the kind you might see in a movie. Ahmed al-Sharaa was a militant commander with al-Qaida in Iraq after the U.S. invasion, and in fact, he was imprisoned by the U.S. Up until about a year ago, there was a $10 million bounty for his capture. But fast-forward to last December, when his fighters overthrew the al-Assad regime. He has rehabilitated himself and been rehabilitated by people, including President Trump, who has taken a liking to him. Here's what he had to say in announcing the meeting with al-Sharaa.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It's a tough neighborhood, and he's a tough guy. But I get along with him very well, and a lot of progress has been made with Syria.
ARRAF: Now, to pave the way for this, just two days ago, the U.S. revoked the Syrian president's status as a global terrorist.
INSKEEP: Now, I'm just thinking this through. We mentioned that no Syrian leaders had a meeting like this. I guess it's largely because the previous leaders of Syria were named Assad for a couple of generations, and they were very much not in favor in the United States. But now that the relationship has changed, what is likely to happen during this visit?
ARRAF: Well, Syria's expected to be formally asked to join the anti-ISIS coalition - that militant group that still has a presence in Syria and Iraq. And it's a coalition that's been led by the U.S. for years, but they're winding down in Iraq this year at the request of the Iraqi government. So, Steve, Syria becomes even more important in that regard. And sanctions will be a big deal. A lot of the sanctions against Syria and al-Sharaa himself have been removed by the U.S. and the U.N. But Syria's still seeking a full repeal of sweeping sanctions that were imposed on the former regime over human rights abuses, and that requires a congressional order.
And then there will also be security talks. Israel has seized part of Syrian territory and has launched regular strikes since al-Sharaa took power, and Trump really wants to see Syria normalize ties with Israel. Sharaa has said that's not on the table, but he has taken the unprecedented step of having his officials meet directly with Israel over security.
INSKEEP: Speaking as someone who's been to Syria, obviously, over the years and since the Assad regime fell, how have things changed?
ARRAF: Really dramatically. I was in Damascus in September, and you can see a lot of signs of change there - more things in the markets. The price of food has gone down. People feel a lot freer. It's just a whole different kind of atmosphere in many respects, but there still is worry in other parts of the country specifically. For instance, the U.N. and others have called on Sharaa to bring to justice members of security forces accused of massacres. Those are massacres that have happened in minority areas - Alawite areas, which the Assads belong to, the Druze. Christians are worried as well. The worry really is that Sharaa doesn't have complete control over his security forces, which were, in fact, up until a year ago, basically fighters of a militant group.
INSKEEP: A lot has changed in the Middle East, but Jane Arraf continues reporting for us from there. Jane, thanks so much.
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