What do Syrians benefit from easing US sanctions? | Economy News

After demands and appeals to lift the US sanctions imposed on Syria, Washington announced yesterday, Monday, a partial lifting of these sanctions for a period of 6 months, indicating that they aim to facilitate the lives of the population in Syria.

For its part, the Syrian caretaker government welcomed the American decision, indicating that it hoped for the complete removal of these sanctions.

The US Treasury Department said that it had issued a new general license to expand permitted activities and transactions with Syria, while Washington continues to monitor developments after a new administration took over the Syrian government.

The US Treasury explained, in a statement, that this step came “to help ensure that sanctions do not obstruct basic services and the continuity of governance functions throughout Syria, including the provision of electricity, energy, water, and sanitation.”

“The end of Bashar al-Assad’s brutal and repressive rule, backed by Russia and Iran, provides a unique opportunity for Syria and its people to rebuild,” said Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo.

The American decision comes in light of the persistent efforts made by the Syrian caretaker government to lift sanctions.

The US Treasury confirmed that it has not lifted the ban on any property or other interests of persons or entities currently included on the sanctions list.

The list includes Assad, symbols of his regime, those close to him, the Syrian Central Bank, as well as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly the Al-Nusra Front before disengaging from Al-Qaeda), which led the attack that led to Assad’s flight.

The US Treasury said that the decision also does not allow “any financial transfers to any person subject to sanctions, except for certain transfers permitted to governing institutions or associated service providers in Syria.”

Benefits of easing sanctions

The US Treasury stated that the exemption step aims to:

• Help ensure that basic services are not hindered and that the government continues to perform its duties throughout the country, including the provision of electricity, power, water and sanitation.
• The US decision will allow transactions with governing institutions in Syria, including government-run departments, agencies, and providers of public services, including hospitals, schools, and facilities.
• The decision authorizes transactions to support the sale, supply, storage or donation of energy, including oil and electricity, to Syria.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani said, in a statement on Tuesday, that “despite the demise of the Assad regime, the sanctions are still targeting the Syrian people, which is hindering their recovery. The US Treasury’s decision regarding the sanctions represents a breakthrough, but we are waiting for the sanctions to be lifted completely.”

Phased penalties

• US sanctions on Syria began in December 1979, when Syria was classified as a “state supporting terrorism.” These sanctions led to the imposition of a ban on defense exports and sales, some controls on the export of both civilian and military dual-use products, in addition to various financial restrictions.
• In May 2004, additional restrictions on imports and exports were implemented with the implementation of the US law “The Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act.”
• With the outbreak of the war in Syria in 2011, the sanctions became more comprehensive, and the main lines of these sanctions were the trade ban on the energy and financial sectors that provide income for Bashar al-Assad’s regime, freezing the assets of senior officials, and preventing American companies from dealing with Syria.
• The scope of the sanctions expanded with the issuance of the “Caesar Act to Protect Civilians in Syria,” which was signed by former US President Donald Trump in December 2019 and entered into force in June 2020.
  A dissident employee from the regime, nicknamed “Caesar,” leaked photos of about 11,000 bodies of people killed under torture between May 2011 and August 2013. The photos revealed the methods of torture to which detainees were subjected in the regime’s detention centers.
  The US sanctions affected the construction and energy sectors, and the Syrian Central Bank was also a target of the sanctions imposed on the government in order to hinder the financing capacity of the Assad regime. It is noteworthy that the “Caesar sanctions” against Syria were recently extended for another 5 years until 2029.