The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has communicated this Wednesday his intention to remove Syria from the list of states that sponsor terrorism, where it has been since December 1979, when it was the first country to be incorporated into that list.
Before the media, and in the presence of the Syrian transitional president, Ahmed al Shara, Trump has hinted that the decision has practically been made during the NATO summit taking place in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. In that context, he stated: "I think I will. Why wouldn't I? He has done a great job. Maybe I should have mentioned it a little earlier."
Next, he turned to the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to confirm that there would be no objections to this move and concluded with a forceful "Yes, I will," closing the matter before the journalists.
In his speech, the US leader also dedicated words of recognition to Al Shara's management at the head of the Arab country, emphasizing that "he has unified the country in a very short period of time," despite the fact that "from the beginning it was a real disaster."
Trump elaborated on his praise for the Syrian leader by stating that "he is a great leader, he is respected by everyone, including myself, and we are proud to have him with us." In the same vein, he assured that "Syria has become a very stable place (...) it's amazing. In a short period of time, it has really stabilized, and we are proud of that."
The US President has linked this situation to Washington's decision to lift sanctions on Syria in May of last year, a measure that, he pointed out, has provided "a great boost" to the economic recovery and political stability he has been talking about.
Hours later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailed that Trump has already notified the US Congress of his intention to remove Syria from the list of states sponsoring terrorism. Rubio highlighted that "this historic step opens new possibilities for economic recovery and development, giving the Syrian people the opportunity to achieve a great future."