US-Syria rapprochement: chance for a fresh start?
During his trip through the Gulf region, Donald Trump met for the first time with Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa. Even before the talks, which took place in the Saudi capital Riyadh, the US president announced that all sanctions against Syria would be lifted. At the same time Washington is urging Damascus to improve its ties with Israel. Europe's press examines the far-reaching consequences.
Money will finally flow again
The Economist considers the medium-term impact of these decisions:
“Lifting sanctions will allow money, from the diaspora and from countries in the Gulf and elsewhere, to flow in. Rejoining swift, a financial-messaging system, will allow Syrian banks to do business with foreign financial institutions. Syria will be able to print banknotes and fix a chronic cash shortage. Foreign firms may start bidding to rebuild Syria's infrastructure. Still, dismantling the punishing sanctions regime will take some time. ... Nonetheless the announcements are a triumph for Mr Sharaa.”
Good news for the people and the region
The Tages-Anzeiger welcomes the lifting of the sanctions, which above all affected the Syrian population:
“This is good news for the entire Middle East. The sanctions against Syria were imposed on the Assad regime in recent decades and then simply passed on to the new rulers - a questionable move by any yardstick. Above all, however, under al-Sharaa, as under Assad, the hardest hit were the people, who were left starving and without access to medicines.”
Don't relinquish all leverage
Die Welt newspaper sees things moving too fast as regards the normalisation of relations between the West and Syria:
“By all accounts such haste seems naive. The fact is that Islamist movements that have come to power have almost always proved disappointing. ... It is therefore important not to make rash and far-reaching concessions to al-Sharaa in order to ensure that when push comes to shove the West still has enough leverage to pressure the regime to maintain a moderate course. We have seen all too often what Islamists are capable of when the West relinquishes its means of applying pressure.”
Another useful dictatorship
La Stampa is appalled:
“The image of the first jihadist making his debut in the salons of the West merely reaffirms an unbearable truth that we have been unwilling to accept: whoever wins is always right. Success, the conquest of power, erases all mistakes, even the most terrible and in theory unforgivable ones that were committed to achieve it. ... Ultimately this is just another 'useful dictatorship' on a seemingly endless list. The summit between Trump and al-Julani [al-Sharaa's former nom de guerre] is not just a minor detail in a Middle East mission: it is a snapshot of shame and cowardice, an image of the abyss into which we have descended with our stuttering arrogance and hypocrisy.”
Turkey and Saudi Arabia seeking greater influence
For Tygodnik Powszechny the fact that Trump arranged the meeting is also significant:
“Lifting the sanctions against Syria 'gives them a chance for greatness' said Trump, whose half-hour meeting with the Syrian leader was arranged by his Saudi host, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who also participated in the talks. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also joined in the conversation via telephone. Turkey and Saudi Arabia both aspire to become major powers in the Middle East and are competing for primacy with Iran, which until now had taken Syria under its wing.”
Netanyahu is the loser here
The Israeli prime minister is in a weaker position now, De Volkskrant comments:
“Israel continues to regard al-Sharaa as a jihadist and is trying to weaken the country with bombings and by fueling sectarian tensions. Now Netanyahu is forced to look on with repressed anger as Trump rehabilitates this man - a sign of the great distance between the US president and the Israeli prime minister. Trump and Netanyahu are now completely at odds on a number of key regional issues (Iran, Syria, the Houthis in Yemen). And there are rumours that Trump has had enough of Netanyahu's course in the Gaza war.”