Trump signs executive order to terminate Syria sanctions
WASHINGTON: United States (US) President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to terminate the US' sanctions programme on Syria, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
"The United States is committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbours," Trump said in the order posted by the official Rapid Response account of the Trump 47 White House on X.
"A united Syria that does not offer a safe haven for terrorist organisations and ensures the security of its religious and ethnic minorities will support regional security and prosperity," he added.
Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the move aims to support Syria's "path to stability and peace."
"The order will remove sanctions on Syria while maintaining sanctions on the former President Assad, his associates, human rights abusers, drug traffickers, persons linked to chemical weapons activities, ISIS and their affiliates, and Iranian proxies.
"This is again an action that the president promised and shocked the world with in Saudi Arabia, because he's committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbours," she said.
Last month, Trump announced at an investment forum in Riyadh that he would lift the "brutal and crippling" sanctions on Syria.
A day later, he held a landmark meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, the first meeting between the US and Syrian leaders in 25 years.
Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly a quarter century, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, 2024, marking the end of the Baath Party's decades-long rule, which began in 1963.
Al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces that ousted Assad, was declared president for a transitional period in late January. – Bernama
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
38 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Trump suggests DOGE look at subsidies for Musk's companies to save money
CEO Elon Musk has about US$22 billion in federal contracts through SpaceX. (Reuters pic) WASHINGTON : US President Donald Trump suggested today that the government efficiency department should take a look at the subsidies that Tesla CEO Elon Musk's companies have received in order to save money. Trump's comments come after Musk, the world's richest man, renewed his criticism on Monday of Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, vowing to unseat lawmakers who backed it after campaigning on limiting government spending. 'Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!,' Trump said in a post on Truth Social, referring to the federal department of government efficiency. In response to Trump's post, Musk, on his own social media platform X, said 'I am literally saying CUT IT ALL. Now.' Trump previously threatened to cut Musk's government subsidies and contracts when their relationship dissolved into an all-out brawl on social media in early June over the bill, which non-partisan analysts have said would add about US$3 trillion to the US debt. Musk's businesses include rocket company and government contractor SpaceX, which has about US$22 billion in federal contracts, and its satellite unit Starlink. His rift with Trump also caused volatility for Tesla, with shares of the electric car company losing about US$150 billion of its market value on June 5, the largest single-day decline in the company's history, though it has since recovered. Tesla shares trading in Frankfurt tumbled 5% on Tuesday. After weeks of relative silence following his earlier feud with Trump over the legislation, Musk rejoined the debate on Saturday as the Senate took up the package, calling it 'utterly insane and destructive' in a post on X. On Monday, he said lawmakers who had campaigned on cutting spending but backed the bill 'should hang their heads in shame!' 'And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth,' Musk added. Musk called again for a new political party, saying the bill's massive spending indicated 'that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!' Musk's criticism marked a dramatic shift after the tech billionaire spent nearly US$300 million on Trump's re-election campaign and led the administration's controversial DOGE cost-cutting initiative. Musk has argued that the legislation would greatly increase the national debt and erase the savings he says he achieved through DOGE. It remains unclear how much sway Musk has over congress or what effect his opinions might have on the bill's passage. But Republicans have expressed concern that his on-again, off-again feud with Trump could hurt their chances to protect their majority in the 2026 midterm congressional elections.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Amazon ‘applauds' Canada's scrapping of tech tax
PARIS: Amazon said Tuesday it 'applauds' Canada's decision to scrap its digital services tax in order to salvage trade talks with the United States, calling it a win for the online retailer's customers. The digital services tax, enacted last year, would have seen US technology giants such as Amazon on the hook for a multibillion-dollar payment in Canada by Monday, analysts have said. US President Donald Trump had slammed the tax and called off trade talks with Ottawa, which reversed course and binned the tax on Sunday. The tax had been forecast to bring in 5.9 billion Canadian dollars ($4.2 billion) over five years. 'Amazon applauds Canada's decision to rescind the Canada Digital Services Tax Act,' an Amazon spokesman told AFP. 'Digital services taxes are discriminatory, stifle innovation, and harm consumers, and we appreciate the US government's work to address DSTs around the world,' he said. Austria, Brazil, Britain, France, India, Italy, Spain and Turkey are among a dozen large countries that have imposed or planned to impose special taxes on big tech firms. The goal is to force them to pay taxes where they carry out business as well as to counter the strategies they often use to reduce their tax bills.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
US aid cuts may force millions more from homes: Danish NGO
COPENHAGEN: Cuts to global aid budgets spearheaded by the United States could nearly double the number of people forced to flee their homes this year, the Danish Refugee Council warned Tuesday. US President Donald Trump has cut 83 percent of funding for overseas programmes run by development agency USAID, with France, Germany and Britain also slashing their aid commitments. The Danish NGO warned that development programmes directly targeted the issues that force people to flee their homes -- conflict, rights violations, the effects of climate change, and economic crises. 'When funding is suddenly cut, lifelines are cut: The vital services that protect vulnerable communities from violence, hunger, and displacement abruptly disappear, leading to tragic consequences,' the group's Secretary General Charlotte Slente said in a statement. If US funding is fully withdrawn and other donors also decrease aid, the council said, it could lead to a 'staggering' 7.85 million people being displaced this year. The council's projections suggested 3.95 million people would be expected to flee their homes if funding was fully maintained. In a scenario where 50 percent of US aid is cut, the NGO projected a total of 5.75 million would be newly displaced. At the end of April, 122.1 million people were living away from their homes because of war, violence or persecution, according to a report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
