Washington: Since President Donald Trump made it known that he would lift US restrictions on Syria for the next 50 years, a debate has raged within his administration regarding how quickly and thoroughly that may take place. The fate of a transitional government led by those who removed Arab leader Bashar Assad from electricity late last year and hopes that it will help maintain the nation after a bloody 13-year civil war that left millions of people dying or displaced, the market in ruins, and thousands of international fighters also on Arab soil is at risk. Over the years, US presidents have imposed lourd fines on the autocratic family that once ruled Syria, and those fines could be immediately overturned or revoked by executive orders. However, Congress would have to permanently repeal some of the utmost actions. Past violent commander and leader of the overthrow, former leader of the Syrian government, Ahmad al-Sharaa, claims he is working to create an inclusive, West-friendly government. Some members of the Trump presidency are urging people to pull or revoke punishment as quickly as possible without first requiring stringent conditions. Some members of the administration have suggested a gradual approach, with short-term waivers for some sanctions coming quickly and then adding extensions or a wider professional order to Syria conference requirements, which could significantly decrease or even completely avoid longer-term relief. According to critics, that may inhibit the time government’s ability to attract purchase and restore Syria following the war. According to White House National Security Council spokesman Max Bluestein,” the Syria restrictions are a complicated web of rules, professional activities, and United Nations Security Council resolutions that need to be carefully and unraveled cautiously.” The administration is” now analysing the best way to do so,” according to Bluestein, who made the announcement in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday. A top U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity said a State Department plan that was distributed among officials following Trump’s vow on his Middle East journey last month lays out broad conditions for potential phases of relief or continuous lifting of sanctions. Additional suggestions are being made, including one that was widely circulated this week that emphasized the need to help Syria rebuild as quickly as possible, according to the official. After Trump announced last week in Saudi Arabia that he would “be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” people danced in Damascus streets. Trump said,” We’re taking them all off,” a day before meeting the nation’s new leader. ” Good luck, Syria. Give us something special. Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued for a hedged approach in testimony to U.S. lawmakers this week. Rubio pushed for sanctions to be lifted as soon as possible, citing the possibility of” a full-scale civil war of epic proportions” and the five-month-old transition government in Syria. However, when asked what overall sanctions relief should look like, Rubio responded with the phrase” Incremental.” Since 1979, Washington has imposed sanctions on Syria’s former ruling family for its support for Hezbollah and other militant groups affiliated with Iran, its alleged use of chemical weapons, and brutal behavior toward civilians as the Assad family fought to maintain power. The sanctions apply particularly to foreign businesses or investors conducting business there. To repair its damaged infrastructure and assist the estimated 90 % of the country’s impoverished population, Syria requires tens of billions of dollars in investment. Rubio acknowledged to lawmakers this week that Syria’s interim leaders “didn’t pass their background check with the FBI.” Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the organization that al-Sharaa led, was first associated with al-Qaida, but it later renounced ties and adopted a more moderate stance. It is still considered a terrorist organization by the US. However, al-Sharaa’s government has the best chance of reviving the nation and avoiding a power vacuum that could cause the Islamic State and other extremist groups to resurrect. If we engage them, it might work out, or it might not. It was guaranteed to not work out if we didn’t engage them, Rubio said. Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the US-based Syrian Emergency Task Force and advocate who has had a significant impact on shaping previous U.S. policies on Syria, said he has been circulating a framework for a proposed executive order that would allow Trump to remove many of the sanctions as quickly as possible. Trump’s decision to lift the sanctions is intended to “prevent a failed state and end perpetual violence,” according to Moustafa, but some in the administration are attempting to “dilute” the move. A three-phase road map for sanctions relief, starting with short-term waivers, was proposed in the initial document released last week by the State Department’s policy and planning staff. The progress toward more relief and a complete repeal of penalties in the future stages would depend on the severe circumstances that some officials felt were in opposition to. First on the list of requirements is the removal of” Palestinian terror groups” from Syria. Supporters of sanctions relief contend that it might be impossible to determine which groups meet that definition and when they can be declared removed. The new government must take custody of the detention facilities housing Islamic State fighters in northeast Syria in addition to other requirements for moving to the second phase, including a recent agreement with the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes the SDF being incorporated into the Syrian army. Syria would need to join the Abraham Accords, which established normalized relations with Israel, and demonstrate that it had completely destroyed the chemical weapons of the previous government, in order to reach phase three. Prior to now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed the Trump administration to halt sanctions against Syria. Israel has been wary of the new administration, despite Syrian officials ‘ public statements that they do not want a conflict with Israel. Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes and seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone in Syria since Assad’s assassination. Syria’s congressional sanctions will take much longer to be lifted While some can be lifted by executive orders, while others will require more complex procedures. The most challenging situation might be the broad-ranging sanctions that Congress passed in 2019 in response to alleged war crimes committed by Assad’s government. It specifically halts reconstruction projects, and investors are likely to be wary of them when sanctions could be reinstated after six months, even though it can be waived for 180 days by executive order. Rubio and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham explained at a meeting last week in Turkey with Syria’s foreign minister that they backed Trump’s request to ease sanctions immediately but that permanent relief would require the Syrian government to follow the terms set out by the president, according to other US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions. This is a chance to give this new government some capabilities that ought to be condition-based, Graham said this week. And I don’t want that to happen again.
