(Washington) The American Congress approved on Wednesday the definitive lifting of sanctions imposed by the United States against Syria during the time of Bashar al-Assad, intended to allow the return of investments in this country ravaged by years of civil war.
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The repeal of a so-called “Caesar” law, adopted in 2019 during Donald Trump’s first term and which imposed these sanctions, appears in the text on the defense strategy (NDAA), which the American Senate approved on Wednesday by 77 votes for and 20 against.
The House of Representatives had already spoken out last week and the text is now awaiting promulgation by the American president.
The US government has indicated that it is in favor of repealing the Caesar Act. Its application had already been suspended twice for six months after President Trump’s announcement in May lifting sanctions against Syria as part of the normalization of relations between this country and the United States.
The Caesar Act passed in 2019 imposed sweeping US sanctions against the government of Bashar al-Assad, banning the country from the international banking system and financial transactions in dollars.
Although its application was suspended, many American officials believed that until it was repealed, it could harm investor confidence.
Syrian leader Ahmad al-Chareh was received on November 10 at the White House by President Trump, a first for a Syrian head of state since the country’s independence in 1946 and a consecration for the former jihadist who, in less than a year in power, brought his country out of isolation.
Donald Trump had already met the Syrian leader during a trip to the Gulf in May, announcing the lifting of American sanctions.
After 13 years of civil war, Syria is seeking to secure funds for its reconstruction, the cost of which could exceed $216 billion, according to the World Bank.
“Today’s repeal of the Caesar Act is a decisive step to give the Syrian people a real chance to rebuild after decades of unimaginable suffering,” said Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
