Britain removed sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Friday, after the United Nations Security Council did the same ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump next week.

Britain said in a notice on the government’s website that it was also lifting sanctions on Syria’s interior minister Anas Khattab.

Both men had formerly been subject to financial sanctions targeted at Islamic State and al Qaeda.

Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, became Syria’s president in January after insurgent forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive.

Sharaa, once a senior figure in HTS and previously affiliated with al Qaeda, was sanctioned by the U.N. and Britain in 2014, which included a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embarg

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