key takeaways from the meeting

• sanctions relief: mills and al-shara explored conditions under which the u.s. might consider lifting or reducing sanctions.
• peace prospects: the possibility of syria and israel achieving peace was a significant topic of conversation.
• message to trump: mills intends to relay a message from al-shara to former president donald trump, with whom he maintains a close relationship.

mills’ mission and objectives

representative mills, a republican representing florida, undertook the trip at the behest of a group of influential Syrian Americans. upon his return, he plans to brief mr. trump and national security adviser mike waltz on his findings. the syrian-american group hopes to influence the trump administration to ease the stringent sanctions imposed on syria during the tenure of former president bashar al-assad, who was ousted in december following an offensive by opposition factions led by al-shara.

mills, 44, described his 90-minute session with al-shara as productive, focusing on the steps the u.s. expects syria to take for the trump administration to consider sanctions relief. these sanctions currently target entities dealing with the syrian government, with exceptions only for humanitarian aid.

al-shara aims to alleviate sanctions to revitalize syria’s struggling economy and attract foreign investment, especially given the estimated $400 billion needed for post-war reconstruction.

u.s. demands and syrian response

mills outlined several key demands to al-shara, including:

• chemical weapons: ensuring the complete destruction of any remaining chemical weapons from the assad era.
• counter-terrorism: enhanced coordination in anti-terrorism efforts, including collaboration with u.s. allies like iraq.
• foreign fighters: clarifying plans for dealing with foreign fighters still present in syria.
• israel’s security: providing assurances to israel, which remains wary of the syrian president and opposes sanctions relief.

israel has conducted multiple airstrikes on syrian military installations since al-shara assumed power and has seized strategic locations southwest of damascus.

according to mills, al-shara expressed willingness to address these concerns and indicated syria’s interest in potentially joining the “abraham accords,” which normalized relations between the uae, other arab nations, and israel during mr.trump’s initial term.

at one time, germany and japan were enemy to us, but we must go beyond that if we want to achieve stability in syria, mills stated.

mills’ perspective and future outlook

mills characterized his discussions with al-shara as positive, noting that he also spoke with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani. i am optimistic with caution and seeks to maintain open dialog, he added.

mills,a bronze star recipient and former security contractor elected to his second congressional term,shared his personal perspective with al-shara: i told him (sharia) let’s talk as a soldier to a soldier: the transition from the battlefield to the rule is a very tough transfer.

concerns and conditions from the u.s.

despite visits to damascus by several european foreign ministers and the u.s. secretary of state under former president joe biden, concerns persist regarding al-shara’s consolidation of power and treatment of minorities, according to bloomberg.

bloomberg suggested that syria’s reintegration into the international community has become more mysterious following the execution of hundreds of alawite civilians in march, a sect previously dominant under assad.

u.s. officials announced earlier this month that the trump administration is considering a firm stance toward the new syrian government, demanding the suppression of extremists and the expulsion of armed palestinian factions in exchange for limited sanctions relief, according to the wall street journal.

white house directives in recent weeks have reportedly called for syria to secure it’s chemical weapons stockpile.in return, the u.s. may renew a limited sanctions exemption, initially issued by the biden administration, to facilitate aid flow into the country.

faq: u.s.-syria relations and sanctions

• why are there u.s. sanctions on syria? sanctions were imposed due to syria’s support for terrorism, human rights abuses, and actions during the syrian civil war.
• what are the conditions for lifting sanctions? conditions include destroying chemical weapons, combating terrorism, addressing foreign fighters, and providing security guarantees to israel.
• what is the u.s. position on al-shara’s government? the u.s. remains cautious, emphasizing the need for al-shara to address human rights concerns and security issues.