Trump mulls lifting sanctions on Syria for 'fresh start' proposal
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he may soon lift sanctions against Syria to enable the country, led by a former jihadist, to have a "fresh start." According to Reuters, Syria's interim president Ahmad as-Shara has proposed the construction of a Trump Tower skyscraper in Damascus.
During a press conference before departing for a trip to Saudi Arabia, the President of the United States said that he discussed Syria with Turkish President Recep Erdogan and suggested that he might announce the lifting of sanctions that have been in place for years.
"We have to make a decision on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve," said Trump.
"We're going to have to make a decision on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve. We may take them off of Syria because we want to give them a fresh start. But President Erdogan has asked me about that, many people have asked me about that," he added.
Construction of Trump Tower
The new Syrian authorities, including interim president Ahmad as-Shara, a former leader of a jihadist group of Syrian rebels, have been advocating for the lifting of restrictions for months. As Reuters reports, during a recent meeting with American right-wing activist Jonathan Bass, Shara proposed the construction of Trump Tower, cooperation against Iran, or reshaping relations with Israel.
French President Emmanuel Macron also supported lifting sanctions on Syria during the Syrian leader's visit to Paris.
According to the agency, it is not ruled out that Trump and as-Shara will meet on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, where Trump went on his first planned foreign trip.
Sanctions on Syria
American sanctions on Syria have been in place since 1979, when the regime of Hafez al-Assad was listed as supporting terrorism. Since then, additional restrictions were imposed in 2004 and following the outbreak of the civil war in Syria. Despite the overthrow of the previous regime by rebels, only some restrictions have been lifted so far. Ahmad as-Shara himself, who was previously considered a terrorist, was removed from the sanctions list during Joe Biden's administration.
Some people in the Trump administration opposed easing the sanctions due to the background of Syria's new president. Publicly, Vice President J.D. Vance recommended caution in this matter. Additional conditions necessary for lifting the sanctions, including the removal of foreign fighters from positions in the army, have been recently put forward by diplomats from the State Department and the Treasury Department.
