US Urges UN To Lift Sanctions On Syrian Leader Ahead Of Washington Visit

Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times,

The United States has put forth a draft resolution within the U.N. Security Council meant to end sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the Islamist militant and political group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

The proposal comes ahead of al-Sharaa’s anticipated meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, set for next Monday.

The Security Council has regularly approved travel exemptions for al-Sharaa this year, meaning the White House meeting does not hinge on the outcome of the U.S. proposal.

The draft resolution, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, also advocates for the repeal of sanctions against Syria’s Interior Minister Anas Khattab.

The U.N. sanctions include a travel ban, asset freeze, and arms embargo.

It is unclear when a vote on the draft could be held. At least nine of the 15 council constituents need to vote in favor of the proposal for it to be enacted. However, Russia, China, the United States, France, and the UK each hold a veto.

Washington has for many months urged the Security Council to cease the sanctions on the regime in Syria.

President Bashar al-Assad was deposed in December 2024 after HTS-led militants effectively won a 13-year civil war in the country.

The country has languished since May 2014 on the U.N. Security Council’s sanctions list aimed at al-Qaeda and ISIS affiliates.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House at a press briefing on Tuesday.

“When the president was in the Middle East, he made the historic decision to lift sanctions on Syria to give them a real chance at peace, and I think the administration, we’ve seen good progress on that front under their new leadership,” Leavitt said.

In July this year, Trump rescinded unilateral U.S. sanctions on Syria via executive order, saying it was “a chance at greatness” for the Syrian people, but he kept sanctions on Assad and other leaders.

The Trump administration also revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for HTS.

U.N. monitors said there are no active al-Qaeda-HTS ties in a July report.

Trump last met with al-Sharaa in mid-May in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, where the U.S. president urged the Syrian leader to join the Abraham Accords. According to the White House, Trump also asked al-Sharaa to “tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria, deport Palestinian terrorists, help the U.S. prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in Northeast Syria.”

On Sept. 22, al-Sharaa addressed the U.N. General Assembly—the first time a Syrian president had done so since 1967—where he called for full sanctions relief and highlighted his country’s reconstruction needs.

[ZH: Of course, as we detailed here, this new ‘friendship’ has an ulterior motive…]