Syrian president's visit to U.S. confirmed

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit the White House in early November and discuss the reconstruction of Syria, Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Shaibani confirmed.

"There will be many issues on the table, starting with the lifting of sanctions and opening of a new chapter between the U.S. and Syria. We want to establish a very strong partnership between the two countries," Shibani said.

Earlier, U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack said that Sharaa would visit Washington, with a White House official later saying the visit would happen around November 10.

According to the U.S. State Department, no previous Syrian president has paid an official visit to Washington.