Ahmed al-Chareh believes that this measure will allow the return of refugees to the country. In thirteen years of civil war, economic restrictions to put pressure on the Syrian regime have accumulated and weigh on the daily lives of civilians.
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During an interview on Monday with a delegation of British diplomats, Abu Mohammed al-Joulani (Ahmed al-Chareh, his real name), the leader of the coalition dominated by Islamists which took power in Syria, “ stressed the need to lift all sanctions imposed on Syria in order to allow the return of Syrian refugees to their country “. According to him, this measure is crucial to allow the return of millions of people who fled the country.
For thirteen years, Syria has been subject to a severe regime of international sanctions taken in response to the regime’s repression against civilians by the European Union, the United States, the Arab League, but also countries like Canada, the Australia or Switzerland.
Thirteen years of economic restrictions
Thus, in addition to the ban on exporting arms to Syria, since 2011, the EU sanctioned 289 individuals and 70 entitiesincluding members of the government, influential businessmen and entities supporting the regime by freezing their assets and banning them from entering EU territory. Syria also cannot import equipment and technology that could be used for internal repression. The sanctions also target economic sectors profitable to the regime, such as oil, which represented around 20% of GDP before the war: ban on importing Syrian oil and investing in the country’s oil industry.
The United States has also adopted severe sanctions since 2011. Beyond freezing the assets of the Syrian government and its supporters and an oil embargo, no product or service must leave American territory or come from companies Americans to Syria.
The Arab League also quickly froze regime assets and banned member state investments in Syria. Then Canada, Australia and Switzerland took economic and financial sanctions against the regime. Canada has banned all imports of goods since Syriaas well as the export of luxury goods to the country, financial services linked to Syria and any investment in the country.
For its part, the UN has not taken sanctions against the Syrian regime. Several draft United Nations Security Council resolutions to this effect were rejected after vetoes from China and Russia.
In 2019, the United States further tightened the noose with the “Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act” which provides for sanctions against any company or individual collaborating with the Syrian government, particularly in the military, commercial, construction, energy and engineering. This law prohibits transactions with third-party companies trading with Syria.
Intended to put pressure on the regime by suffocating it economically, these sanctions have also made the lives of Syrians even more difficult: shortages are frequent and prices have soared. Because even if they do not concern humanitarian goods and do not officially target food products, basic necessities, as well as medical and health products, in reality, these restrictions seriously complicate exports, for example of medicines or hospital equipment. towards Syria.
After the declarations, the EU awaits “actions”
The fall of Bashar al-Assad does it signify the end of these sanctions? The situation remains complex. Because the rebel group that overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is itself the subject of sanctions and is considered a terrorist organization by the United Nations, just like its leader Ahmed al-Chareh. Despite the reassuring words of the new strongman of Damascus, caution remains in order.
In recent days, Western diplomats have shown benevolence towards the new Syria. Washington announced “ direct contacts » with HTS, but the group is still on the list of terrorist organizations.
Visiting Damascus on Sunday, UN envoy Geir Pedersen said, without giving further details: “ We can hope for a quick end to sanctions so we can see rallying around building Syria “.
This Tuesday, the tricolor flag was raised on the headquarters of the French embassy in Damascus, closed since 2012, on the occasion of the arrival in the capital of the French special envoy for Syria, reports our correspondent at Beirut, Paul Khalifeh. “ France is preparing to stand alongside the Syrians », assured Jean-François Guillaume.
Despite these declarations, on the European side, the lifting of sanctions is not imminent, warned Kaja Kallas on Monday, during a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-Seven in Brussels. The head of European diplomacy has set a number of preconditions, including the protection of minorities and women’s rights within a government that disavows religious extremism. “ One of the questions is whether we are able, in the future, to consider adapting the sanctions regime. But this is clearly not the question of today, but rather that of the future, when we will have seen that the measures taken are going in the right direction “, Kaja Kallas said in an interview with Reuters. For now, she added, the HTS statements “ are going in the right direction ”, but the group would be judged on its actions.
This Tuesday, the head of European diplomacy announced that the Union was “ ready » to reopen its embassy in Damascus.