United News of Bangladesh

Syria welcomed Saturday the move by the Trump administration to ease sanctions imposed on the war-torn country, calling it a “positive step” to ease humanitarian and economic suffering. A statement by the foreign ministry said Syria “extends its hand” to anyone that wants to cooperate with Damascus, on the condition that there is no intervention in the country’s internal affairs, reports AP. Saturday’s statement came a day after the Trump administration granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions in a major first step toward fulfilling the president’s pledge to lift a half-century of penalties on a country shattered by 14 years of civil war. A measure by the State Department waived for six months a tough set of sanctions imposed by Congress in 2019. A Treasury Department action suspended enforcement of sanctions against anyone doing business with a range of Syrian individuals and entities, including Syria’s central bank. Over 60 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza as aid remains scarce The congressional sanctions, known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, had aimed to isolate Syria’s previous rulers by effectively expelling those doing business with them from the global financial system. They specifically block postwar reconstruction, so while they can be waived for 180 days by executive order, investors are likely to be wary of reconstruction projects when sanctions could be reinstated after six months. The Trump administration said Friday’s actions were “just one part of a broader US government effort to remove the full architecture of sanctions.” Those penalties had been imposed on the Assad family for their support of Iranian-backed militias, their chemical weapons program and abuses of civilians. Trump said during a visit to the region earlier this month that the US would roll back the heavy financial penalties in a bid to give the interim government a better chance of survival. Syria’s foreign ministry said dialogue and diplomacy are the best way to build “balanced relations that achieve the interest of the people and strengthen security and stability in the region.” It added that the coming period in Syria will be reconstruction and restoring “Syria’s natural status” in the region and around the world.

President Donald Trump will meet Wednesday in Saudi Arabia with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the onetime insurgent who last year led the overthrow of former leader Bashar Assad. “The President agreed to say hello to the Syrian President while in Saudi Arabia tomorrow," the White House said, reports AP. The US has been weighing how to handle al-Sharaa since he took power in December. Gulf leaders, have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and will want Trump to follow, believing it is a bulwark against Iran's return to influence in Syria, where it had helped prop up Assad's government during a decade-long civil war. Then-President Joe Biden left the decision to Trump, whose administration has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government. Sanctions imposed on Damascus under Assad also remain in place. In remarks Tuesday evening in Riyadh, Trump is expected to say that “we must all hope” the al-Sharaa government “will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace,” according to excerpts released by the White House. UN agencies warn Israel’s new Gaza aid plan could endanger lives As he prepared to leave Washington, Trump said he’s weighing removing sanctions on the Syrian government. “We may want to take them off of Syria, because we want to give them a fresh start,” said Trump, adding that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged him to do so. The comments marked a striking change in tone from Trump, who has been deeply skeptical of Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa. Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, al-Sharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling US forces in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003 and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. Al-Sharaa, whom the US once offered $10 million for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al-Qaida, came back to his home country after the conflict began in 2011 where he led al-Qaida’s branch that used to be known as the Nusra Front. He later changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and cut links with al-Qaida.