DAMASCUS/LONDON (Reuters) - An end to U.S. sanctions on Syria is expected to mark a new era for an economy devastated by 13 years of war, opening the way for investment flows from the Syrian diaspora, Turkey, and Gulf states that back the new government.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday had tea with a former jihadist who until this year had a $10 million US bounty on his head.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years and one that could mark a turning point for Syria as it struggles to emerge from decades of international isolation.

Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh made a call to global investors on Wednesday to come do business with Syria after U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise announcement that he would lift all of Washington's sanctions on the country.

"He's got the potential - he's a real leader," Trump said on Air Force One after meeting Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will ease sanctions on Syria could eventually facilitate the country’s recovery from years of civil war and transform the lives of everyday Syrians.

Five months after its liberation from the police state of Bashar al-Assad, Syria sometimes looks like a country in civil war. Sectarian clashes have turned into street battles with rockets and mortars.

The day began with pomp in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and ended in Qatar after the U.S. leader was greeted with camels and sped to what he said was a “perfecto” marble palace.

When the leader of Syria shook hands with U.S. President Donald Trump, it was a striking moment for a man who was an al-Qaida fighter in Iraq and was detained by the American military.

United States President Donald Trump has announced that Washington is exploring the normalisation of ties with Damascus, following a historic meeting with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa – the first such encounter in over two decades.