Washington (TDI): The United States granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions Friday in a big first step toward fulfilling President Donald Trump’s pledge to end a half-century of restrictions on a country devastated by civil war.
The steps from the State and Treasury departments waived for 6 months a tough set of sanctions imposed by Congress in 2019 and expanded US rules for what foreign businesses can do in Syria.
It follows President Trump’s announcement last week that Washington would roll back heavy financial penalties targeting Syria’s former autocratic rulers — in a bid to give the new interim government a better opportunity of survival after the 13-year war.
The congressional sanctions, known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, aimed to isolate Syria’s previous ruling Assad family by effectively expelling those doing business with them from the international financial system.
These waivers will help the availability of electricity, energy, water, and sanitation, and enable a more effective humanitarian response across Syria, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
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He said that President Trump has made clear his expectation that relief will be followed by immediate action by the Syrian government on important policy priorities.
Syrians and their supporters have celebrated the sanctions relief but say they need them ended permanently to secure the tens of billions of dollars in investment and business required for reconstruction after a war that fragmented Syria, displaced or killed millions of people, and left thousands of foreign fighters in the country.
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The Trump administration said Friday’s announcements were just one part of a broader American government’s effort to remove the full architecture of sanctions.
Those were imposed on Syria’s former rulers over the decades due to their support for militias, a chemical weapons program and abuses of civilians.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
