Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has renewed his call to the United States to formally lift sanctions imposed on his country while visiting New York to attend the first United Nations General Assembly by a Syrian leader in nearly six decades.
Al-Sharaa led opposition fighters who overthrew President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December.
US President Donald Trump met him in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in May and ordered most sanctions lifted. But the Caesar Syria Civil Protection Act of 2019 authorising the sanctions remains US law.
Members of Congress have been debating whether to repeal the Caesar Act, which imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Syria under al-Assad. Some lawmakers, including Trump’s fellow Republicans as well as Democrats, want its repeal to be included as an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act, a sweeping defence bill expected to pass by the end of December.
Speaking at the Concordia Annual Summit on the sidelines of the annual General Assembly on Monday, al-Sharaa said the sanctions imposed on the previous Syrian leadership were no longer justified and were increasingly seen by Syrians as measures targeting them directly.
“We have a big mission to build the economy,” al-Sharaa said.
“Syria has a diverse workforce. They love to work. It’s in its genes, so don’t be worried. Just lift the sanctions, and you will see the results.”
The Syrian president on Monday met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York, where he is seeking to expand his country’s relations with the West and further ease its isolation.
Rubio “underscored this opportunity for Syria to build a stable and sovereign nation following President Trump’s historic announcement earlier this year on sanctions relief for the Syrian people”, the US Department of State said in a statement.
“They discussed ongoing counterterrorism efforts, efforts to locate missing Americans, and the importance of Israel-Syria relations in achieving greater regional security,” the department said.
Israel and Syria remain formally in a state of war with Israel still occupying Syria’s Golan Heights. Since the fall of al-Assad, Israel has carried out numerous strikes on Syria.
Asked whether Syria could join the Abraham Accords, which some Arab countries have signed to normalise relations with Israel, al-Sharaa said: “Syria is different. And those who are part of the Abraham Accords are not neighbours to Israel. Therefore, Syria as a neighbour has been subjected to over 1,000 raids, strikes and Israeli incursions.”
“There’s a big difference between Syria and those members in the Abraham Accords,” he said.
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