Washington welcomes al-Shara.. Syria returns to the heart of international negotiations after sanctions are lifted

Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara arrived in the American capital Washington on Saturday, in an official visit described as pivotal, being the first visit by a Syrian president to the United States since the country's independence in 1946, and this comes less than 24 hours after his name was removed from the U.S. terrorism lists and international sanctions were lifted against him.

The U.S. administration expects al-Shara to hold direct talks with President Donald Trump, amid expectations that the visit will witness the announcement of Damascus officially joining the international coalition to combat ISIS, according to U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barak.

Al-Shara had participated in the proceedings of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, before moving to the American capital, indicating the political reintegration of Syria into the international system after 14 years of internal conflict, which the World Bank estimated to have cost more than $216 billion.