President Ahmed al-Sharaa is the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since the country's 1946 independence. Photo / Handout, Sana, AFP

United States President Donald Trump hailed his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa after unprecedented talks at the White House today, saying Sharaa’s “rough” past as a jihadist would help him rebuild the war-torn country.

Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, was the first Syrian
leader to visit the White House since the Middle Eastern country’s independence in 1946.

The 43-year-old’s landmark visit to the Oval Office came just days after Washington removed him from its terrorism list. Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda years ago.

Trump said he wanted Syria to become “very successful” after more than a decade of civil war and added that he believed Sharaa “can do it, I really do”.

“He’s a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place, and he’s a tough guy,” Trump told reporters after the meeting, which was closed to press.

“People said he’s had a rough past, we’ve all had rough pasts ... And I think, frankly, if you didn’t have a rough past, you wouldn’t have a chance.”

Trump said Syria was a “big part” of his aim for a wider Middle East peace plan, which the US President is hoping will prop up the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

He would not confirm reports that Sharaa would bring Syria into the international US-led alliance against Isis or that it would sign any non-aggression pact with long-term foe Israel.

The Syrian President’s visit capped a remarkable turnaround for a former jihadist who once had a US$10 million US bounty on his head.