By Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Friday took the first steps toward lifting sanctions on Syria after President Donald Trump said his administration would unwind them.
The Treasury Department issued a general license that authorizes transactions involving the interim Syrian government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as well as the central bank and state-owned enterprises.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also issued a 180-day waiver of sanctions against Syria under the Caesar Act to ensure that sanctions do not impede Syria’s recovery and reconstruction efforts, a State Department official told Reuters.
U.S. sanctions were imposed on the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and key individuals in 2011 after civil war erupted there. Sharaa led militias that overthrew Assad in December.
The Treasury said in a statement that the general license, known as GL25, “authorizes transactions prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, effectively lifting sanctions on Syria.”
“GL25 will enable new investment and private sector activity consistent with the President’s America First strategy,” the statement said.
Trump made a surprise announcement last week during a trip to the Middle East that he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria’s Islamist-led government at the behest of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, a major U.S. policy shift he made before meeting briefly with Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh.
Removing U.S. sanctions that cut Syria off from the global financial system would clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organizations working in Syria, easing foreign investment and trade as the country rebuilds.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Simon Lewis and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Chris Reese and Cynthia Osterman)
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