The United Nations Security Council on Thursday voted on the resolution proposed by the US and lifted the sanctions imposed on Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara. This step has been taken just before his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.
In the resolution prepared by America, apart from the Syrian President, sanctions on Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab were also removed, in which 14 members voted in favor, while China abstained. Washington has been urging the 15-member Security Council for months to ease sanctions on Syria. Trump had announced a major change in US policy in May when he said that he would lift US sanctions on Syria.
“The council is sending a strong political signal that recognizes that Syria has entered a new era since the ouster of Assad and his allies,” US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said after Thursday’s vote.
HTS and al-Sharaa
After 13 years of civil war, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December by rebel forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
HTS, formerly known as the Nusra Front, was the official wing of al Qaeda in Syria until it severed ties in 2016. Since May 2014, the group was included in the UN Security Council’s Al Qaeda and Islamic State sanctions list.
Many members of HTS are also subject to UN sanctions – including travel bans, asset freezes and arms embargoes. These restrictions on Sharara and Khattab have now been lifted.
At the same time, according to a UN report published by news agency Reuters in July, UN sanctions inspectors have not seen any active links between Al Qaeda and HTS this year.
China abstained from voting
China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Kang, said China abstained because the resolution did not adequately address its concerns about the counter-terrorism and security situation in Syria.
China has long been vocally expressing its concerns about the future of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement in Syria. Uyghur fighters from China and Central Asia are members of this group. Human rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses against predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities.
Fu said the resolution adopted on Thursday clearly states that Syria must take decisive action to combat terrorist acts and respond to the threat of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), including ETIM, in Syria.
Russia supported
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow supported the concise and clear resolution because it “commits, above all, to the interests and aspirations of the Syrian people.
At the same time, Russia had created a diplomatic shield for its ally Assad during the war, in which dozens of vetoes were inserted with the support of China. The Council met several times a month on the political, humanitarian situation and chemical weapons in Syria throughout the war.
Syria’s UN ambassador Ibrahim Olabi praised the decision on Thursday, calling it a message of support for Syrian women and men as they attempt to rebuild their homeland and restore their lives, following years of rift in the Security Council.
New Syria will become a success story
He said, ‘The new Syria will become a success story. This will be a shining model that will prove that the best path in international relations is positive engagement and constructive cooperation. If there are concerns, Syria is fully ready to resolve them honestly on the basis of mutual respect.
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