EU Foreign Ministers to Discuss Syria Sanctions Relief at Month’s End
EU Foreign Ministers to Discuss Syria Sanctions Relief at Month’s End
European foreign ministers are scheduled to gather at the end of January to deliberate on the potential lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria, as announced by the EU’s foreign policy chief on Sunday in Riyadh, before a meeting that included prominent diplomats from both the Middle East and Western nations alongside Syria’s new foreign minister.
Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, indicated that the foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on January 27 to determine how the 27-member bloc might ease sanctions on Syria.
Following 13 years of civil conflict, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad was removed in a swift assault by insurgent groups led by the Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) a month ago. The organization has since established a provisional government in Damascus.
Kallas noted that any European decision to lift sanctions would depend on the new Syrian administration’s governing practices, which must involve “various groups,” including women, and must avoid any form of radicalization. However, she did not provide further details.
“If we observe progress in the right direction, we are prepared to take further actions… Conversely, if things do not progress positively, we may reconsider our position,” she stated.
This conference on Sunday marks the first such gathering of Western and regional leaders hosted by influential Saudi Arabia since Assad’s removal, as Damascus calls on the West to lift sanctions to facilitate more accessible international funding.
During a press briefing following the conference, Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud emphasized the importance of removing “unilateral and U.N. sanctions on Syria,” arguing that ongoing sanctions would obstruct the Syrian populace’s aspirations for development.
The U.S., U.K., European Union, and other nations enacted stringent sanctions on Syria in response to Assad’s repression of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011, which ultimately escalated into a civil war. However, the current situation in Syria has been complicated by sanctions imposed on HTS and confident leaders due to its previous affiliation with al-Qaeda.
Germany, which is spearheading the EU discussions regarding sanctions, proposed on Sunday that humanitarian relief for the Syrian population be permitted while retaining sanctions against Assad’s associates who have “committed serious crimes” during the war.
“Syrians urgently require tangible benefits from the power transition, and we persist in aiding those in Syria who are destitute, as we’ve done throughout the civil war,” stated German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock during her remarks in Riyadh.
On Monday, the United States announced a six-month exemption from its sanctions covering transactions with governing entities in Syria to facilitate humanitarian aid and permit certain energy dealings.
British foreign minister David Lammy participated in the talks in Riyadh alongside ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen.
The discussions aimed to focus on assistance for the interim Syrian leadership, “including approaches to hold the Assad regime accountable for the war crimes committed against the Syrian populace,” according to a statement from the U.K. foreign office.
Source: Reuters
umer
