US and Britain lift sanctions against the president of Syria
The European Union confirmed it will follow suit, and the United States and Britain lifted sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Friday, one day after the U.N. Security Council did the same ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump next week.
On their websites, Washington and London also announced that they had eased sanctions against Anas Khattab, Syria’s interior minister.
In the past, both men were designated Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the US, and they were the targets of financial penalties aimed at al Qaeda and Islamic State.
On Friday, a European Union official stated that EU actions would take into account the U.N. ruling.
Security and armaments restrictions are still in effect, but Britain and the union have withdrew part of their economic sanctions on Syria in April and May, respectively.
“To help build a better future for all Syrians, we remain committed to supporting a peaceful and inclusive transition that is Syrian-led and Syrian-owned,” a spokesman for the European Commission stated.
For months, the 15-member Security Council has been under pressure from Washington to relax sanctions on Syria. Trump’s announcement in May that he would remove U.S. sanctions on Syria marked a significant change in U.S. policy.
A CONFERENCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE
The first visit by a Syrian head of state, the Republican president is scheduled to meet with Sharaa at the White House on Monday.
Trump has aimed to establish positive ties with Sharaa. He lifted the majority of U.S. sanctions against Syria in June, and Trump had a meeting with the Syrian leader during his May trip to Saudi Arabia.
In an effort to rebuild Syria’s relations with international powers that shunned Damascus under Assad, Sharaa’s transitional government has been abroad several times since taking over from Bashar al-Assad last December.
After insurgent forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew Assad in a lightning strike, Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, was elected president of Syria in January.
The U.S. in 2013 and the U.N. and Britain in 2014 imposed sanctions on Sharaa, a former top official in HTS and al Qaeda offshoot, including an arms embargo, travel restriction, and asset freeze.
HTS and al Qaeda do not have active relations, according to the U.N. Security Council, which lifted the restrictions on Thursday.
A request for response was not immediately answered by the Syrian government on Friday, which is not a working day in Syria.
