UN Security Council lifts sanctions on Syria’s president

The US-drafted resolution has also removed sanctions on Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab

The United Nations Security Council has voted in favor of a US resolution to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ahead of his visit to Washington next week.

The US-drafted resolution on Thursday also removed sanctions on Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab. According to the UN Security Council’s statement, it decided that both should be “delisted from the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List.” The resolution was approved by 14 council members, only China abstained.

Al-Sharaa, who once led the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) under his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, rose to power following the departure of Bashar Assad.

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The US has been urging the 15-member Security Council to ease Syria sanctions for months since al-Sharaa met US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia in May. It was the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years.

Following the meeting, Trump announced a major US policy shift when he said he would lift sanctions on Syria.

Last week, US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack confirmed that Sharaa would visit Washington, DC, next week. During the visit, Syria will “hopefully” join the US-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State group, Barrack added. It will mark the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House.

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Since seizing power last December, Sharaa has made a series of foreign trips to reestablish the country’s ties with world powers. In October, Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Syrian counterpart in Moscow, praising the two countries’ deep historical ties and friendly relations.

Russia’s military presence in Syria – at the Khmeimim Airbase and the Tartus naval facility – was originally established with a 49-year lease signed with Assad in 2017. Moscow has remained engaged with the new Syrian leadership and continued to maintain the bases since his ouster.