The United States has submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council proposing the removal of sanctions against Syrian President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa. An official meeting between al-Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to take place soon at the White House, reports Baltimore Chronicle citing Reuters.
The proposed resolution also includes provisions to lift sanctions on Syria’s Minister of Interior, Anas Khattab. However, the exact date for the vote remains unclear. To be adopted, the resolution must receive at least nine votes in favor and no veto from any of the five permanent members — Russia, China, the United States, France, or the United Kingdom.
Washington has spent several months urging the Security Council to reconsider existing restrictions against Syria. The U.S. government had already delisted the group “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (HTS), which currently holds power in parts of Syria, from its registry of terrorist organizations.
“Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,” formerly known as “Jabhat al-Nusra,” was once the official branch of al-Qaeda in Syria until severing ties in 2016. Since May 2014, HTS has been under U.N. sanctions targeting al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, which include asset freezes, travel bans, and an arms embargo.
A number of HTS members — including Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab — are also subject to these international sanctions.
In late November 2024, Syrian rebel forces launched a swift offensive that led to the downfall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. World leaders welcomed the shift, and Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed readiness to restore diplomatic relations with Syria in the future.
Following Assad’s ouster, the leader of the rebels, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was declared interim president. The constitution was suspended, and parliament dissolved. The United States had once offered a $10 million reward for information about al-Sharaa due to his alleged ties to al-Qaeda. However, Washington has since reassessed the situation, and President Donald Trump has agreed to meet al-Sharaa personally in Washington.
Earlier we wrote that U.S. Government Shutdown Could Become Longest in History as Trump Rejects Democratic Demands.
