LONDON, April 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UK government announced it was lifting sanctions imposed on Syria’s interior and defence ministries during the rule of now-deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, a move welcomed by Damascus’s new authorities.
“The following entries have been removed from the Consolidated List and are no longer subject to an asset freeze — Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence,” the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said in a notice.
Sanctions against various media groups and intelligence agencies were also lifted, although Syria’s new rulers dissolved the Assad-era security bodies in January.
Those targeted by the sanctions were “involved in repressing the civilian population in Syria” or had been “involved in supporting or benefitting from the Syrian regime”, said the notice.
Restrictions on some other sectors including financial services and energy production were also removed, the government said.
Syria’s new authorities welcomed the move, calling it a “constructive step towards normalising international relations and supporting the Syrian people’s urgent needs” after almost 14 years of war.
In a statement, Syria’s foreign ministry said that “lifting sanctions on key sectors like financial services and energy production”, alongside the defence and interior ministries and media institutions, would “directly contribute to improving the Syrian people’s conditions”.
The measures will also help begin “vital” public sector and security reforms and attract investment “to rebuild infrastructure and the Syrian national economy”, the statement added.
The ministry also repeated Syria’s “full commitment to national renewal, justice and building a future that includes all Syrians”.
Syria’s new authorities have been aiming to persuade Western capitals that the jihadist origins of the rebels who toppled Assad in December, after 24 years in charge, are confined to the past, and that crippling international sanctions should be lifted.
Some countries including the United States have said they would wait to see how the new authorities exercise their power and ensure human rights before lifting sanctions, opting instead for targeted and temporary exemptions.
A visiting UN official on Saturday urged Syria’s new authorities to begin the process of economic recovery, without waiting for sanctions to be removed. — NNN-AGENCIES
