Saudi Arabia has called for an end to sanctions on Syria following meetings in Riyadh of 17 regional and western ministers and senior diplomats seeking to promote the country’s recovery.
“We stressed the importance of lifting unilateral and international sanctions imposed on Syria, as their continuation hinders the aspirations of the Syrian people to achieve development and reconstruction,” said Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Policy towards Syria is being reassessed following the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad by insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is designated as a terrorist group by the United States and most other countries, as well as the United Nations.
Discussions among Arab ministers were followed by an international gathering attended by counterparts from the European Union, United Nations, Turkey, the United States, Britain, Germany, and France. Syria was represented by its new foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
The US decision to ease restrictions on humanitarian aid to Syria for six months was welcomed, while EU foreign ministers are set to meet in Brussels on January 27th to decide on steps to ease sanctions.
Syria needs an estimated €410 billion to reconstruct essential infrastructure and lift 69 per cent of Syrians out of poverty. EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said ending sanctions that were “hindering the building up of a country, and access to banking services” should be given priority. Arab nations, the US and the EU insist that sanctions relief is contingent on Syria’s new model of governance including all political factions, minorities and women, and on the avoidance of religious impositions.
Saudi Arabia is eager to assert its influence with HTS, the jihadi movement which toppled the 54-year rule of the Assad dynasty and has formed an interim government. While they did not welcome the involvement of Iran and Russia with the Assads, the Arab nations now must contend with non-Arab Turkey which fostered, funded, and protected HTS in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.
With Turkey’s backing, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham built its base of support and forces in preparation for its December offensive against Syria’s weak army. While pro-fundamentalist Qatar established contact with HTS as soon as it swept to power, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which ban the Muslim Brotherhood, have no option but to court Hayat Tahrir al-Sham if they are to have influence in Syria.
Turkey’s sponsorship of HTS has already led to clashes in Syria’s northeast, where the US-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have established a semi-autonomous region which Ankara seeks to abolish. Ankara accuses the SDF of being an offshoot of Turkey’s insurrectionist Kurdish Workers’ Party. The 2,000 US troops deployed in the SDF zone risk being caught in a crossfire.
HTS presents a problem for the US, UN, and EU. The United States wants to make contact with HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa having previously placed a bounty of €10 million on him. — Additional reporting: Reuters
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