Reuters: US asks UN to lift sanctions on Syrian president before White House visit

The United States has proposed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution that would lift sanctions against Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is scheduled to visit the White House on Monday, November 10. This was reported by Reuters with reference to the relevant draft resolution.

In addition to lifting sanctions against the Syrian president, the document also provides for the lifting of restrictions imposed on Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab.

It is unclear when the draft resolution will be put to a vote. It requires at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from Russia, China, the United States, France, or the United Kingdom.

The article says that Washington has been urging the 15-nation UN Security Council for months to ease sanctions against Syria.

After 13 years of civil war, Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024 in a lightning attack by rebel forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

This organization used to be the official wing of al-Qaeda in Syria until it broke ties in 2016. Since May 2014, the group has been on the UN sanctions list.

A number of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham members, including its leaders, are also under UN sanctions. They are subject to travel bans, asset freezes and an arms embargo.

The Security Council's sanctions committee has regularly granted travel authorization to the Syrian president this year, so even if the US-prepared resolution is not adopted by Monday, he will likely still be able to visit the White House.

• At the end of September, Ukraine officially restored diplomatic relations with Syria.
• In October, the Syrian president visited Moscow and met with Putin, after which Russian aircraft resumed flights to the military base in Hmeymim .
• On November 1, it was reported that al-Sharaa would visit Washington on November 10.