Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, during an interview with Reuters, in Damascus, on March 10, 2025. (Credit: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)
Republican Congressman Cory Mills stated he plans to present the findings of his visit to Syria to President Donald Trump. He will convey a message from Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to his American counterpart, noting that the Syrian president was "open to the idea of Syria joining the Abraham Accords," the normalization agreement between several Arab countries with Israel. Mills visited Syria last Friday and Saturday, accompanied by Marlin Stutzman, also a Republican. They met Sharaa during this visit, organized and funded by the "Syrian-American Alliance for Peace and Prosperity."
The visit's itinerary included meetings with Syrian officials and visits to several sites, including the Jobar neighborhood, Saydnaya prison, and the mostly Christian cities of Saydnaya and Maaloula. Mills told Bloomberg he went to Damascus as part of an unofficial exploratory mission organized by a group of Syrian-Americans. He added that he held 90-minute talks with Sharaa, during which he explained U.S. expectations for steps necessary for the Trump administration to consider easing or lifting sanctions, which target anyone cooperating with the Syrian government except for humanitarian aid. Some of these demands included dismantling all remaining chemical weapons from the era of the former regime of Bashar al-Assad and fighting foreign terrorist groups within Syrian borders.
He said that he would inform Trump and U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz of the results of his Syria visit and also plans to deliver a message from the Syrian president to the U.S. president, without revealing its contents.
Positive discussions
Mills stated that his discussions with the Syrian president were "positive," also revealing that he asked Sharaa to destroy any remaining chemical weapons from the old regime and to cooperate with counter-terrorism initiatives, including with U.S. allies like Iraq.
The American lawmaker said in his interview that Sharaa needed to explain how he plans to handle the presence of foreign fighters in Syria and provide guarantees to Israel, a U.S. ally, which does not trust the Syrian government and opposes lifting sanctions. Syria still demands the return of the Golan Heights, which Trump recognized as Israeli territory in 2019. Mills stated that Sharaa "is open to discussing U.S. concerns and said that Syria is interested in joining the Abraham Accords, but only under favorable circumstances." He expressed "cautious optimism" towards the Syrian government, wishing to "keep an open dialogue," declaring, "Germany and Japan were once our enemies, but we must move past that if we want stability in Syria." Mills added, "I said to Sharaa, let's speak soldier to soldier. Transitioning from the battlefield to government is an incredibly difficult transition."
This marked the first time U.S. Congress members met Sharaa and the new Syrian administration since Assad's regime fell.
London lifts sanctions
The United Kingdom announced on Thursday the lifting of sanctions against Syria's interior and defense ministries and intelligence agencies, imposed under Bashar al-Assad's regime. In early March, the U.K. already lifted sanctions on 24 Syrian entities or those linked to Syria, including the Central Bank. Over 300 individuals remain subject to asset freezes, as well as about 40 entities, according to the Treasury's statement. The new Syrian government is seeking to get international sanctions imposed during the era of Bashar al-Assad lifted to rejuvenate the Syrian economy, which has been devastated after 14 years of civil war. However, some countries want to see if the new authorities will uphold human rights.
The United States announced a temporary relief of sanctions in January to "not hinder" the provision of essential services to the population. However, they stated that they wouldn't further relax sanctions until progress is made on priorities such as fighting "terrorism."
Economic sanctions heavily impact the country, where, according to the U.N., 90 percent of Syrians live below the poverty line.
The visit by the two American elected officials occurred as the United States announced on Friday the upcoming withdrawal of about a thousand American troops deployed in Syria to fight jihadists.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.