2 US lawmakers urge 'deliberate and phased' lifting of Syria sanctions

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A pair of lawmakers in the US House of Representatives urged the Biden administration Wednesday to implement a "deliberate and phased" lifting of sweeping sanctions on Syria after the end of more than five decades of Assad family rule.

Reps. Joe Wilson and Brendan Boyle said in a letter to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that the US should pivot its sanctions and issue waivers and general licenses to suspend sanctions related to reconstruction, economic development, and foreign investment.

The unwinding of sanctions would build goodwill for the US in Syria "and help sideline terrorist groups by facilitating economic and financial access for ordinary Syrians," said Wilson and Boyle.

"The fall of the Assad regime presents a pivotal opportunity to responsibly unwind sanctions on Syria to facilitate stabilization, reconstruction, international investment, humanitarian recovery, and international reintegration while safeguarding U.S. security interests," the lawmakers wrote.

"A deliberate and phased approach is required to unwind sanctions and export controls against Syria to ensure that former regime elements are unable to access their assets, that designated terrorist organizations are denied access to the international financial system," they added.

The approach could also serve "to incentivize the transitional government's compliance with international norms," said the lawmakers.

Bashar al-Assad Assad, Syria’s president for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus early Sunday, ending more than five decades of Baath Party rule.

The UN estimates that the cost of rebuilding Syria after 13 years of the bitter conflict could cost as much as $1 trillion. The price tag for "a genuine reconstruction plan for Syria would best be served by robust support from the wider international community, who have indicated a preference for a more robust political settlement," the World Bank said in 2019.