Trump pauses sanctions on Syria for 6 months after president visits

by · UPI

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump halted most of the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria for 180 days after meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa Monday in the White House.

The meeting was the first time a Syrian head of state has visited the White House.

Al-Sharaa, who was affiliated with al-Qaida, was labeled an international terrorist by the United States until Friday and had a $10 million bounty on his head.

On Friday, the State Department said that Sharaa and Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab would be removed from the list of terrorists.

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A senior administration official confirmed to CBS News that Syria will be joining the U.S.-led Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS. Al-Sharaa's own former group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, opposed ISIS during the latter years of Syria's civil war.

The Department of Treasury said Trump "is delivering on his commitment to give Syria 'a chance at greatness'" by suspending the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019. It is legislation that imposed sanctions on the former regime of Bashar al-Assad for war crimes against the Syrian people.

"The U.S. government has adopted new policies and regulatory posture to encourage U.S. businesses and banks, the international community, the Syrian people, and regional partners to contribute to Syria's stability while denying resources to harmful actors," Al-Jazeera reported. The Caesar Act will remain for sanctionable transactions with Russia or Iran.

The transfer of the most basic civilian-use American goods, as well as software and technology, to or within Syria is now allowed without a license, Al-Jazeera reported.

But sanctions will stay on "the worst of the worst," which means al-Assad and his associates, human rights abusers, Captagon drug traffickers and other "destabilizing regional actors."

The United States will continue to review Syria's State Sponsor of Terrorism designation, and most Commerce Control List items -- mostly weapons and military items -- going to Syria will need a U.S. export license.

While al-Sharaa would have liked a permanent end to the Caesar Act, that can only be done by Congress.

Al-Jazeera reported that Trump would like Syria to join the Abraham Accords, which normalize relations between Israel and nearby Arab nations.

Al-Sharaa was greeted by supporters outside the White House as he left the meeting.

"These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime," the State Department's press release said.

"This new Syrian government, led by President al-Sharaa, is working hard to locate missing Americans, fulfill its commitments on countering terrorism and narcotics, eliminating any remnants of chemical weapons, and promoting regional security and stability, as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process."

Sharaa was formerly known by an assumed name, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. He once led the militant group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which cut ties with al-Qaida in 2017.

The Syrian leader met Trump in Saudi Arabia in May, and Trump told him he would get the sanctions lifted.

"Tough guy," Trump said of Sharaa after the meeting. "Very strong past. Fighter."

Critics of Sharaa's government have cited recent acts of violence in the country. In July, about 37 people were killed in sectarian violence. A few days later, Israel attacked Damacus and killed about three people and wounded 34 others. Israel claimed it attacked to protect the Druze, a Syrian Arab minority.

In June, a suicide bombing killed 20 people at a Damascus church.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it has registered 35,000 cases of people missing in Syria in the past 13 years. Syria's Network for Human Rights put the number of Syrians "in forced disappearance" at 80,000 to 85,000 killed under torture in Assad's detention centers.

Only 33,000 detainees have been found and freed from Syria's prisons since Assad's ouster, according to the human rights network. American journalist Austin Tice, who was detained by the Assad regime in 2012, has still not been found.