Syria's interim president to address UN General Assembly, sources say
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa will deliver Syria's speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York in September, sources close to new administration in Syria said on Tuesday.
This will be the first time in more than 50 years that a Syrian president takes part in the UNGA meetings in New York, as former leaders Bashar al-Assad and his predecessor and father Hafez never took part in the meetings.
Hafez al-Assad served as president of Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000, after which Bashar took over until he was overthrown by an Islamist-led rebel alliance commanded by al-Sharaa in December.
Syria's new leadership has been seeking to garner world recognition and economic support to rebuild the country.
His trip to the US would be a further diplomatic boost for al-Sharaa, who has already been to several countries in the region, as well as France for talks with President Emmanuel Macron. He also met US President Donald Trump in Riyadh.
Once an insurgent leader, al-Sharaa has since renounced both al-Qaeda and Islamic State. However, doubts remain as to whether he has fully abandoned extremist ideology.
Syria's crisis started with peaceful pro-democracy protests in March 2011 against al-Assad, before it turned into a full-blown conflict, drawing in foreign fighters and powers.
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