US issues sanctions waiver for countries backing Syria’s transition
The Biden administration stopped short of lifting sanctions on Syria or rescinding the terrorist designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has issued a limited sanctions waiver for regional countries providing assistance to Syria’s transitional government, US officials told Al-Monitor.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified lawmakers on Friday that the outgoing administration was waiving restrictions under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for countries providing support to the de facto government in Damascus and that would otherwise face restrictions on their US-provided assistance due to Syria's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
The waiver applies to the governments of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates as well as Ukraine, a State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity said.
The Biden administration is leaving office less than two months after the surprise rebel offensive that toppled the Assad regime on Dec. 8. The outgoing administration did not rescind any of the sanctions meant to punish the former regime, nor did it remove Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, a label it received in 1979 when Bashar al-Assad’s father, Hafez, was president.
