Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa poses upon his arrival for a meeting with French president at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.AFP
Jonathan Bass, a US pro-Trump activist who met Al-Sharaa for four hours in Damascus on 30 April, said the Syrian leader hopes to secure a meeting with Donald Trump during his planned Middle East visit on 13 May.
Syrian activists and Gulf Arab intermediaries have also been involved in efforts to broker the meeting.
Al-Sharaa, who replaced Bashar Al-Assad following his ouster in December, remains under US sanctions and is designated a terrorist by Washington over his past ties to Al-Qaeda.
Bass told Reuters that Al-Sharaa was seeking a “business deal for the future of his country” involving energy development, engagement with Israel, and cooperation on countering Iran.
“He told me he wants a Trump Tower in Damascus. He wants peace with his neighbours. What he told me is good for the region and Israel,” Bass said.
A second source told Reuters a high-level US-Syria meeting was scheduled for the week of Trump’s visit, though not involving the president directly.
Al-Sharaa is reportedly seeking to reassure Washington that Syria poses no threat to Israel.
Since Assad’s fall, Israeli airstrikes have continued across Syria, and Israeli ground forces have taken control of areas in the southwest, including a UN-patrolled buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights.
Last week, Al-Sharaa confirmed indirect talks with Israel were underway via mediators.
Speaking in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, he said the talks aimed to “calm the situation” and prevent escalation.
According to Bass, Al-Sharaa had asked him to relay messages between the two sides, potentially laying the groundwork for a direct meeting.
However, Israel resumed strikes shortly afterwards, including one near the presidential palace, which it framed as a warning to protect Syria’s Druze minority amid clashes with Sunni militants.
“Al-Sharaa sent the Israelis an olive branch. Israel sent missiles,” said Bass. “We need Trump to help sort this relationship out.”
Syrian officials did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
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