Trump signs order lifting sanctions on Syria, White House says
The move will allow the US to maintain sanctions on Syria's ousted former president Bashar al-Assad, his associates, human rights abusers, drug traffickers, people linked to chemical weapons activities, the IS and its affiliates and proxies for Iran, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters in a briefing.
Assad was toppled in December in a lightning offensive and Syria has since taken steps to re-establish international ties.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said Trump's termination of the Syria sanctions programme would "open door of long-awaited reconstruction and development," according to a post by the foreign minister on social media platform X. He added that the move would "lift the obstacle" against economic recovery and open the country to the international community.
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Trump met in Riyadh in May where, in a major policy shift, Trump unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.
Some in Congress are pushing for the measures to be totally repealed, while Europe has announced the end of its economic sanctions regime.
"Syria needs to be given a chance, and that's what's happened," US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack told reporters in a briefing call. He described Monday's move as "the culmination of a very tedious, detailed, excruciating process of, how do you unwrap these sanctions".
Syrians hope the easing of sanctions will clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organizations working in the country, encouraging foreign investment and trade as it rebuilds.
In the aftermath of Trump's announcement in May, the US Treasury Department issued a general licence that authorised transactions involving the interim Syrian government as well as the central bank and state-owned enterprises.
However, the US has imposed layers of sanctions against Syria, some of which are authorized by legislation, including the Caesar Act. Repealing the measures is necessary for Syria to attract long-term investment without parties fearing the risk of violating US sanctions.
"We are now, pursuant to the executive order, going to look at suspension criteria for the Caesar Act," a senior administration official said.
Most of the US sanctions on Syria were imposed on Assad's government and key individuals in 2011 after civil war erupted in the country.
The dismantling of the US sanctions programme on Syria includes terminating from Tuesday a national emergency declared in 2004 and revoking linked executive orders, according to the order signed on Monday.
The executive order also directs additional actions, including some with respect to waivers of export controls and other restrictions, the order read.
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