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Donald Trump signs executive order lifting US sanctions on Syria: White House
The move comes as a follow-up to Trump’s announcement in May to roll back the sanctions in a bid to support Syria’s reconstruction.
President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order lifting US sanctions on Syria in a move that ends the country's isolation from the global financial system.
The move comes as a follow-up to Trump’s announcement in May to roll back the sanctions in a bid to support Syria’s reconstruction efforts following its prolonged civil war.
Earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump will sign the executive order and promote a “path to prosperity and peace.”
It was “an action that the president promised,” she added.
Trump wants Syria to be “stable, unified and at peace with itself and its neighbors,” the press secretary said, reported AP.
“This is another promise made and promise kept,” she remarked.
However, the order still allows the US to continue to enforce sanctions against Syria’s ousted former president Bashar al-Assad and his inner circle, human rights violators, narcotics traffickers, individuals connected to chemical weapons activities, members of ISIS and its affiliates, and Iranian proxy groups, Leavitt said, reported Reuters.
During a meeting in Saudi Arabia in May, Trump told Syria’s interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa that he would lift sanctions and consider restoring diplomatic ties with the country, marking a significant shift in US' policy toward the country.
The move also formally ends the “national emergency” declared in 2004, which had placed broad sanctions on Syria targeting key state institutions, including its central bank.
Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said on Monday that Trump's move would “open door of long-awaited reconstruction and development.”
Israel also wants normal ties with Syria
The US, despite the removal of sanctions, continues to recognise Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism. The status, which is unlikely to be lifted anytime soon, poses a major barrier to investment.
In a significant move after years of financial isolation, Syria recently executed an electronic transaction through the global banking system, the first since the country's civil war started in 2011, reported AFP.
Israel continued striking military targets in Syria even after Assad’s fall last year. However, on Monday, Israel expressed interest in normalizing relations with both Syria and Lebanon. In both the latter countries, Iranian influence has notably declined, partly due to Israeli attacks.
With inputs from AP, AFP, Reuters.
