The United States announced that it will suspend some of the sanctions on Syria following a historic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
This was the first summit between a U.S and Syrian leader at the White House since 1946, marking a shift in U.S.-Syria relations after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Trump expressed his support for al-Sharaa, who until recently was designated a terrorist by the U.S. government with a US$10 million bounty on his head for his former affiliation with al-Qaida.
“I get along with the president, the new president in Syria, and we’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful, because that’s part of the Middle East,” Trump said.
Following the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a 180-day suspension of some sanctions under the Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, commonly called the Caesar Act.
This act targets Syria’s energy industry and deters foreign investors from signing contracts relating to the country’s postwar reconstruction.
“The suspension of Caesar Act sanctions supports Syria’s efforts to rebuild its economy, restore ties with foreign partners, and foster prosperity and peace for all its citizens,” Rubio said in a press release.
The exemptions excluded “certain transactions involving the governments of Russia and Iran, or the transfer of provisions of Russian-origin or Iranian-origin goods, technology, software, funds, financing or services”.
Syria also joined the U.S.-led international coalition to combat the Islamic State Group.
