U.S. President Donald Trump said the decision to lift sanctions on Syria came at the request of Turkey and Israel.
Trump’s remarks came during a meeting at the White House on Thursday, 6 November, with the presidents of five Central Asian states, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
“We lifted the sanctions on Syria to give it a chance, and we think it is doing a good job so far,” Trump said during the meeting.
He noted that lifting sanctions on Syria was done at Turkey’s request and, “in fact, at Israel’s request as well.”
Trump’s comments followed the UN Security Council’s adoption on Thursday of a U.S.-sponsored resolution removing Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab from the sanctions list.
Trump added that he will meet his Syrian counterpart, Ahmad al-Sharaa, whom he described as “a strong man,” affirming that he “is doing very well.”
“The Syrian president is a strong man, and I get along with him very well. He is doing a good job, and we have made great progress with Syria,” Trump said.
Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, 10 November, as the White House announced earlier.
This will be their third meeting, after one in Riyadh hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on 14 May, and another in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on 25 September.
On 23 May, the United States officially lifted economic sanctions on Syria, marking a shift in U.S. policy following the ouster of former ruler Bashar al-Assad and opening the way for new investment in the war-ravaged country.
On 13 May, President Trump announced his decision to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, saying during the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, “It is time to give Syria a chance, and I wish it good luck.”
Israeli role to keep sanctions in place
Repeal of the Caesar Act moved forward significantly after the Senate approved its removal through passage of the National Defense Authorization Act on 10 October, but it still faces lobbying headwinds, particularly from Israel-aligned organizations, before it goes to the House of Representatives.
A senior congressional aide told Al-Monitor on 24 October, on condition of anonymity, that officials at the White House and the Departments of State and the Treasury “were perfectly clear with Congress that the administration’s official position is full and final repeal of the Caesar Act.”
By contrast, some Israel-aligned organizations in Washington have urged keeping sanctions on a state they see as a potential threat to Israel and to minorities such as Alawites and Druze, according to the outlet.
“Lobbying wars” Stall the Repeal of “Caesar” Act
Sources familiar with the lobbying efforts told Al-Monitor that senior Israeli officials, including Ron Dermer, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also engaged with lawmakers.
U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, for his part, pushed for lifting sanctions, facilitating several meetings between Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and the U.S. Treasury Department, as well as with members of the Senate and the House on 19 and 20 September, including Lindsey Graham and Chris Van Hollen.
Another congressional source told Al-Monitor that Barrack phoned senior Republican lawmakers in recent weeks to urge them to support repeal.
The Caesar Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on 15 November 2016 and signed by President Donald Trump on 21 December 2019 during his first term.
The law mandates sanctions on anyone providing support to the former Syrian regime and requires the U.S. president to impose penalties on allies of the deposed Assad. It covers providers of military, financial, and technical support, including companies, individuals, and states, extending to Russia and Iran, and targets those who fund Syria’s reconstruction.
al-Sharaa in Washington
President Ahmad al-Sharaa will visit the United States for the second time after attending the 80th UN General Assembly in New York.
According to Tom Barrack’s comments to Axios on 1 October, this will be the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House since 1946 and another key step in rebuilding Syrian-U.S. relations.
During the visit, al-Sharaa is expected to sign Syria’s accession to the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State.
Barrack also anticipated a fifth round of direct negotiations between Israel and Syria, mediated by the United States, following al-Sharaa’s trip to Washington.
According to the envoy, the U.S. goal is to reach a border security agreement between the two countries by the end of 2025.
Trump: We lifted sanctions on Syria at the request of Turkey and Israel Enab Baladi.
Hence then, the article about trump we lifted sanctions on syria at the request of turkey and israel was published today ( ) and is available on ُEnabbaladi ( Syria ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Trump: We lifted sanctions on Syria at the request of Turkey and Israel )
Also on site :