The report came from Jonathan Bass, CEO of Louisiana-based natural gas company Argent LNG and a strong Trump supporter. Bass flew to Damascus last week and met with Sharaa to discuss proposals for Western companies to help develop Syria’s oil resources. Bass had a four-hour meeting with Sharaa on Wednesday, during which the Syrian leader seemed agreeable to Bass’s proposals but said it would be necessary for the United States to normalize relations with his government before they could strike any deals.
This could prove to be a tall order because Sharaa and HTS began as a splinter group of al-Qaeda. HTS has struggled to rebrand itself as a Syrian nationalist group focused on overthrowing Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, rather than part of an international terrorist organization. Sharaa traded in his combat fatigues for a business suit and announced his intention to preside over a more inclusive style of Islamist government that would protect the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. (Ed note: A new Trump Tower? Will someone please read Isaiah 17 to the President.) (Read more)
