By Yousef Saba, Gram Slattery, Pesha Magid and Nafisa Eltahir RIYADH (Reuters) -President Donald Trump kicked off his trip to the Gulf on Tuesday with a surprise announcement that the United States will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria,

The US president gets a "lavender-carpet" reception on a whirlwind visit of Gulf countries mainly focused on shoring up investment.

President Donald Trump is set to meet with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, in a face-to-face with the onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by U.S. forces after being captured in Iraq.