The United Nations envoy on Sunday called for an early end to sanctions imposed on the West. Syria As the nation’s new leaders and regional and global powers begin to chart a course for post-war progress; The fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian government has been under harsh sanctions from the United States, European Union and other countries for many years. President Assad’s brutal response What started as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 turned into a civil war.
of rebel alliance Syria, which only days ago ousted President Bashar al-Assad and broke his iron grip on the country, faces a country devastated and deeply isolated by tough international sanctions that have exacerbated Syria’s previous economic problems. There is. But other challenges also complicate Syria’s reconstruction. The new interim leadership has not provided a clear vision for how to govern the country, and the main groups behind the attacks are in great difficulty. Designated as a terrorist by the US.
Geir Pedersen, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, told reporters in Damascus that a quick lifting of sanctions would help get Syria back on track after the turmoil of the past few weeks.
“Hopefully we’ll see an early end to sanctions and we’ll start to see real mobilization to build Syria,” he said.
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Parts of Syria’s largest city remain damaged or destroyed after years of fighting. Reconstruction has been hampered primarily by sanctions aimed at preventing the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure and property in government-controlled areas in the absence of a political solution.
Pedersen visited Damascus and met with officials of the new transitional government established by the former rebel group led by the Islamic extremist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to overthrow Assad. Washington officials have indicated that the Biden administration is considering lifting the group’s terrorist designation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday. Stakeholders contacted directly with the group.
Over the weekend, Blinken attended an emergency meeting in Jordan and won support from the Arab League, Turkey’s 12 foreign ministers, and senior officials from the European Union and the United Nations on how the Assad family should run Syria in the decades to come. said. rule.
They will ensure that the new government respects the rights of minorities and women, prevents the spread of terrorist groups, ensures that humanitarian aid reaches those in need, and secures and destroys chemical weapons left over from the Assad era. Agreed that it should. Blinken pledged that the United States would recognize and support a new government that meets these principles.
President Biden’s virtual call with G7 leaders said they discussed “the need for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition process” among other issues in the Middle East.
With time running out for the Biden administration, it is unclear what approach President-elect Donald Trump will take toward Syria.
Syria’s interim government is scheduled to rule until March, but the process for establishing a new permanent government to replace it has not yet been clarified.
“We need to start a political process that involves all Syrians,” Pedersen said. “That process clearly needs to be led by the Syrians themselves.”
He called for “justice and accountability for the crimes committed” during the war and called for the international community to step up humanitarian assistance.
Schools in Damascus reopened on Sunday for the first time since rebels marched through the capital, in a sign that Syrians yearn for a return to normality even after a whirlwind rebel offensive in recent weeks. .
At Nahla Zaidan School in the capital’s Meza district, teachers hoisted a three-star revolutionary flag instead of the previous regime’s two-star Syrian flag.
The school’s president, Maysoon Al Ali, said, “Syria is trying to build this country with the children who came.I think some people are afraid, but they are building Syria and building it together. I came to live the victory of this country.”
“God willing, there will be more development, security and construction in this beloved country.”
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