Syria 'wants peace with Israel' as US lays out sanctions lift

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday Syria's new leadership wanted peace with Israel as he laid out details for easing sanctions in a meeting with Damascus's top diplomat.

Rubio met in Turkey with Syria's foreign minister to discuss further normalisation of relations following a landmark encounter between President Donald Trump and Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Islamist guerrilla who is now Syria's interim president.

"We think that a peaceful, stable Syria would be one of the most dramatic improvements in the region in a very long time, and we want to do everything we can to help achieve that," Rubio told reporters after the talks.

US ally Israel has voiced pessimism about Sharaa and has pounded neighbouring Syria with military strikes, much as it did in the run-up to longtime leader Bashar al-Assad's overthrow in December.

But Rubio, like Trump, said the new Syrian leadership was open to normalisation with Israel - a major priority for the United States.

"They've expressed an interest in being at peace with all of their neighbours, including Israel," said Rubio, who spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.

The Syrians have given no public indications of wanting to recognise Israel.

The Syrian foreign ministry in a statement said Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani spoke to Rubio about "the details of lifting US sanctions on Syria, improving relations between Damascus and Washington, and discussing ways to build a strategic partnership."

Sanctions waivers

Trump, on a visit to Riyadh on Tuesday, said he would lift sanctions to give Syrians "a chance at greatness".

Trump, always in tune with public reaction, throughout his Gulf trip has noted how he received a standing ovation during the announcement before an investment forum.

Rubio said Trump planned to waive the Caesar Act, a tough 2019 law that sought to bar anyone involved in the reconstruction of Syria so long as Assad was in power and did not see accountability over atrocities.

Such waivers - which could pave the way for cash inflows from some of the millions of Syrians who fled the civil war - would last 180 days each.

"Ultimately, if we make enough progress, we'd like to see the law repealed because you're going to struggle to find people to invest in a country when in six months, sanctions could come back," Rubio said. He added, however: "We're not there yet."

The United States still designates Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, which also severely impedes investment.

Rubio said the Syrian leadership, which has members once linked to Al-Qaeda, sought a "pluralistic society in which all the different elements of Syrian society are able to live together".

Since the overthrow of Assad, a largely secular ruler from the Alawite community, Syria has seen major attacks on the Alawite and Druze minorities.

Rubio said that the Syrian delegation "asked for our help" for the future.

"It'll be a long road, because it's been a long time, so we recognise that, but this is a historic opportunity," he said.

Rubio, who was in Antalya in southern Turkey for a NATO meeting, met jointly with the Syrian top diplomat and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Turkey was a major supporter of the Islamist guerrillas as they overthrew Assad and, with Saudi Arabia, has pushed for an easing of US sanctions.

Trump after his meeting called Shara -- once on a US wanted list but now clad in a suit -- a "young, attractive guy".

It was the first time a US president has met Syria's top leader since Bill Clinton went to Geneva in 2000 to speak to Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, in an unsuccessful bid to push a Syria-Israel peace deal.