00:00The UN Security Council has lifted sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Shahra
00:05ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump next week.
00:09Shahra, who led a rebel offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December 2024,
00:15was named transitional president after 13 years of civil war.
00:19Washington said the decision sent a strong political signal,
00:22recognizing that Syria had entered a new era since Assad's ouster.
00:30Shahra was previously under UN sanctions as the leader of Hayat Tahril al-Sham, HTS,
00:36an Islamist group formerly linked to al-Qaeda.
00:39The UN also lifted sanctions on Syrian Interior Minister Anas Qatab.
00:44The United States removed HTS from its list of foreign terrorist organizations in July.
00:50Shahra's upcoming visit to Washington marks a stunning turnaround for a man
00:54once branded a terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head.
00:58Shahra is due to meet Trump at the White House on Monday,
01:02following what Trump described as good progress towards peace in Syria.
01:06The two last met in May during Trump's visit to Riyadh.
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