The United States will appoint President Donald Trump’s longtime advisor and current US ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, as a special envoy for Syria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter and a diplomat in Turkey said, according to Reuters.
The decision follows Trump’s landmark announcement last week that US sanctions on Syria would be lifted. It also suggests US acknowledgement that Turkey has emerged with key regional influence on Damascus since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster by rebels in December, which ended 14 years of civil war.
Trump met with Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia on May 14 and urged him to normalize ties with longtime foe Israel following his surprise sanctions announcement.
“There is no announcement at this time,” a US State Department spokesperson said when asked for comment about Barrack’s Syria role.
Barrack, a private equity executive who has long advised Trump and chaired his inaugural presidential committee in 2016, is expected to continue as US ambassador to Turkey, the sources said.
Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was allowing embassy staff in Turkey, including Barrack, to work with local officials in Syria to understand what aid they need.