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US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order that terminates the majority of US sanctions imposed against Syria and associated designated persons, effective July 1.
Lifting sanctions will likely result in a significant opportunity for the Syrian economy. Sanctions against people and entities tied to the Assad regime, terrorist organizations and human rights abusers will remain in place.
Trump said the relief aims to facilitate “a united Syria that does not offer a safe haven for terrorist organizations and ensures the security of its religious and ethnic minorities.” The order simultaneously directs the secretary of state to “take appropriate steps” to advance policy objectives in the United Nations to support a “stable Syria.”
The executive order resulted in the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removing Syrian sanctions regulations (31 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 542), and 518 persons solely designated under these regulations were taken off the sanctions list. Concurrently, 139 persons’ designation was renewed to ensure “continued accountability for the former al-Assad regime and its abuses.”
Key export controls and financial assistance limitations affecting the provision of all services and investments by US businesses into Syria, mandated by the Syria Accountability Act and the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control Act, will be waived.
Additionally, the executive order directs the secretary of state to suspend “some or all” of the sanctions under the Caesar Act, which prohibits foreign persons from engaging in activities such as providing “financial or technological support” and sales of various goods to the Syrian government, as well as several sanctions to individual designated entities. Section 301 of the act authorizes the President to suspend the act for up to 180 days, subject to various conditions such as the government “taking verifiable steps to establish meaningful accountability for perpetrators of war crimes in Syria and justice for victims of war.” Beyond the 180 days, US congressional briefings will be required to establish a permanent revocation of the act. As of June 30, the Secretary of State is still deliberating “the potential full suspension of the Caesar Act”.
The executive order follows a broader trend of sanctions revocations by Western countries in response to the fall of the Assad regime and the normalization of relations between the new Al-Sharaa transitional government. Human rights organizations have previously advised that sanctions would hinder the nation’s reconstruction. In response, OFAC issued General License 25 earlier this year, which authorized many economic activities with Syria. Alongside the US, the United Kingdom and the European Union lifted a majority of their sanctions, resulting in the formation of “Syrian-foreign economic and business councils.”
While lifting sanctions can be generally seen as a positive development, with the Syrian government welcoming the relief, the United Nations expressed the need for “genuine political inclusion” during Syria’s political transition. In this regard, critics have recently questioned the “promise of real change” in the country after the establishment of an election committee which does not allow for direct public participation in the vote.
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Lifting sanctions will likely result in a significant opportunity for the Syrian economy. Sanctions against people and entities tied to the Assad regime, terrorist organizations and human rights abusers will remain in place.
Trump said the relief aims to facilitate “a united Syria that does not offer a safe haven for terrorist organizations and ensures the security of its religious and ethnic minorities.” The order simultaneously directs the secretary of state to “take appropriate steps” to advance policy objectives in the United Nations to support a “stable Syria.”
The executive order resulted in the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removing Syrian sanctions regulations (31 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 542), and 518 persons solely designated under these regulations were taken off the sanctions list. Concurrently, 139 persons’ designation was renewed to ensure “continued accountability for the former al-Assad regime and its abuses.”
Key export controls and financial assistance limitations affecting the provision of all services and investments by US businesses into Syria, mandated by the Syria Accountability Act and the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control Act, will be waived.
Additionally, the executive order directs the secretary of state to suspend “some or all” of the sanctions under the Caesar Act, which prohibits foreign persons from engaging in activities such as providing “financial or technological support” and sales of various goods to the Syrian government, as well as several sanctions to individual designated entities. Section 301 of the act authorizes the President to suspend the act for up to 180 days, subject to various conditions such as the government “taking verifiable steps to establish meaningful accountability for perpetrators of war crimes in Syria and justice for victims of war.” Beyond the 180 days, US congressional briefings will be required to establish a permanent revocation of the act. As of June 30, the Secretary of State is still deliberating “the potential full suspension of the Caesar Act”.
The executive order follows a broader trend of sanctions revocations by Western countries in response to the fall of the Assad regime and the normalization of relations between the new Al-Sharaa transitional government. Human rights organizations have previously advised that sanctions would hinder the nation’s reconstruction. In response, OFAC issued General License 25 earlier this year, which authorized many economic activities with Syria. Alongside the US, the United Kingdom and the European Union lifted a majority of their sanctions, resulting in the formation of “Syrian-foreign economic and business councils.”
While lifting sanctions can be generally seen as a positive development, with the Syrian government welcoming the relief, the United Nations expressed the need for “genuine political inclusion” during Syria’s political transition. In this regard, critics have recently questioned the “promise of real change” in the country after the establishment of an election committee which does not allow for direct public participation in the vote.
The post US removes Syria sanctions amid political transition appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.