The United States openly outlined at the United Nations the measures it would like Damascus to take before the US reverses its policy towards the nation, as Syria’s foreign minister called for strict sanctions to be removed.
Last month, it was reported that the US had submitted to Syria a set of requirements it desires Syria to meet in return for limited sanctions relief. On Friday, acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea made them public.
She added that the U.S. would like Syria’s government to completely deny and repress terrorism, pursue an approach of non-aggression toward neighboring countries, bar foreign terrorist soldiers from holding any official positions, keep Tehran and its proxies from using the Syrian region to exploit others, dismantle weapons of mass destruction, help recover American residents who have gone missing in Syria, and provide for the safety and liberties of all Syrians.
“The United States remains to watch the behavior of the temporary leadership and will decide our actions on a routine of behavior. The leadership at the center has to move beyond the past,” Shea said to the Security Council of 15 members.
Outgoing President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December by a stunning rebel drive after a vicious 14-year civil war, and a new Islamist leadership has been installed in Syria. The new Syrian flag adopted on Friday made its debut at the U.N.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, speaking to the Security Council for the first time, tried to demonstrate that Damascus was meeting some of the items on the list of demands the U.S. had put forth and called on sanctions to be removed.
“Those who call for more from Damascus are the same ones who call for keeping many sanctions in place against it. These restrictive measures compel Damascus to be an aid-dependent nation instead of being an associate in international economic development,” he said to the Security Council.
Tight U.S. sanctions enforced during Assad’s presidency continue to be effective. The U.S. granted a six-month exception to some sanctions in January to incentivize aid, but this has had little impact and Reuters said in February that attempts to reimburse salaries to the public sector using foreign funding had been hindered by doubt on whether it could violate U.S. sanctions.
“These sanctions against the former government keep capital and know-how out of our nation while letting criminal networks thrive,” al-Shibani said. He described Syria as fighting Islamic State fighters, cooperating effectively with the U.N. chemical weapons agency, reconciling military fractions, maintaining state institutions and making efforts toward constitutional reform. It had also initiated a national dialogue, he added.
“We will also reveal authentic initiatives aimed at creating a national parliament that truly represents the Syrian people,” stated al-Shibani. He added that Syria will initiate a commission for missing persons and is prepared to collaborate with the U.S. to search for US citizens who are unaccounted for in Syria.
