Syria not ready to join Abraham Accords

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, ruled out direct talks to normalize relations with Israel for the time being.

When asked about U.S. President Donald Trump's desire for Syria to join the Abraham Accords, a diplomatic initiative started under his first term in office that has seen a number of Arab countries establish ties with Israel since 2020, al-Sharaa pointed to Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights.

"The situation in Syria is different from the situation of the countries who [signed] the Abraham agreement...Syria has borders with Israel, and Israel occupies the Golan Heights since 1967. We are not going to enter into a negotiation directly right now," Ahmed al-Sharaa said.

Speaking to the US broadcaster Fox News, the Syrian head of state at the time said that maybe the U.S. administration with President Trump will help them reach this kind of negotiation."

Al-Sharaa on Monday became the first Syrian head of state to be received at the White House since the country's independence in 1946.