Trump's meeting with Sharaa, unthinkable just months ago, boosts Syrians' hopes

Syria's interim leader met the US president in Riyadh after he announced he would lift sanctions on Syria.

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The extraordinary encounter, unthinkable just months ago, was short but significant.

"I think he has got the potential," Trump remarked after his meeting in Riyadh, 37 minutes long, with the former Syrian fighter formerly linked to al-Qaeda.

The $10m US bounty on his head was only lifted in December.

Video footage of their conversation in a lavish Saudi royal palace showed some initial awkwardness as they spoke through a translator.