Latest news with #NatashaFranceschi
Asharq Al-Awsat
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syrian Letter Delivers Response to US Conditions for Sanctions Relief
Syria has responded in writing to a list of US conditions for possible partial sanctions relief, saying it had acted on most of them but others required "mutual understandings" with Washington, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters. The United States last month handed Syria a list of eight conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill, including destroying any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensuring foreigners are not given senior governing roles. Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to kickstart an economy collapsed by 14 years of war, during which the United States, Britain and Europe imposed tough sanctions in a bid to put pressure on former president Bashar al-Assad. In January, the US issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid, but this has had limited effect. In exchange for fulfilling all the US demands, Washington would extend that suspension for two years and possibly issue another exemption, sources told Reuters in March. Reuters was first to report that senior US official Natasha Franceschi handed the list of conditions to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18. Shaibani, in his first address to the United Nations Security Council on Friday, sought to show that Syria was already addressing the demands, including on chemical weapons and the search for missing Americans in Syria. His public comments were consistent with the contents of Syria's private letter to the US, an undated copy of which was seen by Reuters. Its contents have not been previously reported. Two Western officials and a Syrian official briefed on the letter said it was consistent with the copy seen by Reuters. In the four-page document, Syria pledges to set up a liaison office at the foreign ministry to find missing US journalist Austin Tice and details its work to tackle chemical weapons stockpiles, including closer ties with a global arms watchdog. But it had less to say on other key demands, including removing foreign fighters and granting the US permission for counterterrorism strikes, according to the letter. A State Department spokesperson confirmed Washington had received a response from Syrian authorities to a US request for them to take "specific, detailed confidence building measures'. 'We are now evaluating the response and do not have anything to share at this time,' the spokesperson said, adding that the US 'does not recognize any entity as the government of Syria and that any future normalization of relations will be determined by the interim authorities' actions. " Syria's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. FOREIGN FIGHTERS The letter said Syrian officials had discussed foreign fighters with former US envoy Daniel Rubinstein but that the issue "requires a broader consultative session." "What can be confirmed for now is that the issuance of military ranks has been suspended following the earlier announcement regarding the promotion of six individuals," the letter says, an apparent reference to the appointment in December of foreign fighters including Uyghurs and a Turk to positions in the country's armed force. It did not say whether those appointed ranks had been removed from the foreign fighters and did not list future steps to be taken. A source briefed on the Syrian government's approach to the issue said Damascus would delay addressing it as much as possible given its view that non-Syrian fighters who helped oust Assad should be treated well. On a US request for coordination on counterterrorism matters and the ability to carry out strikes on terror targets, the letter said the "matter requires mutual understandings." It pledged that Syria's new government would not tolerate any threats to US or Western interests in Syria and vowed to put in place "appropriate legal measures," without elaborating. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa had said in an interview earlier this year that US troops deployed in Syria were there without government approval, adding any such presence should be agreed with the state. A Syrian official briefed on the letter said Syrian officials were brainstorming other ways to weaken extremists without explicitly giving the US permission to carry out strikes, seeing that as a controversial move after years of foreign air forces bombing Syria during its war. 'GUARANTEES' A senior diplomat and another person briefed on the letter told Reuters that they deemed it addressed five demands in full, but that the remaining were left "outstanding". They said the letter was sent on April 14 - just 10 days before Shaibani arrived in New York to address the Security Council. It was unclear whether the United States had sent a reply to Syria's letter. A Syrian official and a US source briefed on the letter both said Shibani was set to discuss its contents with US officials during his trip to New York. Syria's letter said it hoped the actions taken, which it described as "guarantees," could lead to a meeting to discuss each point in detail, including reopening embassies and lifting sanctions. On Palestinian militants in Syria, it said Sharaa had formed a committee "to monitor the activities of Palestinian factions," and that armed factions outside state control will not be permitted. It was sent just days before Syria detained two Palestinian officials from the Islamic Jihad militant group. "While discussions on this matter can continue, the overarching position is that we will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to any party, including Israel," it said. The letter also acknowledged "ongoing communication" between Syria's counterterrorism authorities and US representatives in Amman over combating ISIS, and said Syria was inclined to expand that collaboration. The direct talks between Syria and the US in Amman have not previously been reported.
Reuters
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Exclusive: Syrian letter delivers response to US conditions for sanctions relief
BEIRUT, April 26 (Reuters) - Syria has responded in writing to a list of U.S. conditions for possible partial sanctions relief, saying it had acted on most of them but others required "mutual understandings" with Washington, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters. The United States last month handed Syria a list of eight conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill, including destroying any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensuring foreigners are not given senior governing roles. Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to kickstart an economy collapsed by 14 years of war, during which the United States, Britain and Europe imposed tough sanctions in a bid to put pressure on former president Bashar al-Assad. In January, the U.S. issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid, but this has had limited effect. In exchange for fulfilling all the U.S. demands, Washington would extend that suspension for two years and possibly issue another exemption, sources told Reuters in March. Reuters was first to report that senior U.S. official Natasha Franceschi handed the list of conditions to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18. Shibani, in his first address to the United Nations Security Council on Friday, sought to show that Syria was already addressing the demands, including on chemical weapons and the search for missing Americans in Syria. His public comments were consistent with the contents of Syria's private letter to the U.S., an undated copy of which was seen by Reuters. Its contents have not been previously reported. Two Western officials and a Syrian official briefed on the letter said it was consistent with the copy seen by Reuters. In the four-page document, Syria pledges to set up a liaison office at the foreign ministry to find missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice and details its work to tackle chemical weapons stockpiles, including closer ties with a global arms watchdog. But it had less to say on other key demands, including removing foreign fighters and granting the U.S. permission for counterterrorism strikes, according to the letter. A State Department spokesperson confirmed Washington had received a response from Syrian authorities to a U.S. request for them to take "specific, detailed confidence building measures'. 'We are now evaluating the response and do not have anything to share at this time,' the spokesperson said, adding that the U.S. 'does not recognize any entity as the government of Syria and that any future normalization of relations will be determined by the interim authorities' actions. " Syria's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. FOREIGN FIGHTERS The letter said Syrian officials had discussed foreign fighters with former U.S. envoy Daniel Rubinstein but that the issue "requires a broader consultative session." "What can be confirmed for now is that the issuance of military ranks has been suspended following the earlier announcement regarding the promotion of six individuals," the letter says, an apparent reference to the appointment in December of foreign fighters including Uyghurs, a Jordanian and a Turk to positions in the country's armed force. It did not say whether those appointed ranks had been removed from the foreign fighters and did not list future steps to be taken. A source briefed on the Syrian government's approach to the issue said Damascus would delay addressing it as much as possible given its view that non-Syrian rebels who helped oust Assad should be treated well. On a U.S. request for coordination on counterterrorism matters and the ability to carry out strikes on terror targets, the letter said the "matter requires mutual understandings." It pledged that Syria's new government would not tolerate any threats to U.S. or Western interests in Syria and vowed to put in place "appropriate legal measures," without elaborating. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa had said in an interview earlier this year that U.S. troops deployed in Syria were there without government approval, adding any such presence should be agreed with the state. A Syrian official briefed on the letter said Syrian officials were brainstorming other ways to weaken extremists without explicitly giving the U.S. permission to carry out strikes, seeing that as a controversial move after years of foreign air forces bombing Syria during its war. VOWS NOT TO THREATEN ISRAEL A senior diplomat and another person briefed on the letter told Reuters that they deemed it addressed five demands in full, but that the remaining were left "outstanding". They said the letter was sent on April 14 - just 10 days before Shibani arrived in New York to address the Security Council. It was unclear whether the United States had sent a reply to Syria's letter. A Syrian official and a U.S. source briefed on the letter both said Shibani was set to discuss its contents with U.S. officials during his trip to New York. Syria's letter said it hoped the actions taken, which it described as "guarantees," could lead to a meeting to discuss each point in detail, including reopening embassies and lifting sanctions. On Palestinian militants in Syria, it said Sharaa had formed a committee "to monitor the activities of Palestinian factions," and that armed factions outside state control will not be permitted. It was sent just days before Syria detained two Palestinian officials from the Islamic Jihad militant group. "While discussions on this matter can continue, the overarching position is that we will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to any party, including Israel," it said. The letter also acknowledged "ongoing communication" between Syria's counterterrorism authorities and U.S. representatives in Amman over combating Islamic State, and said Syria was inclined to expand that collaboration. The direct talks between Syria and the U.S. in Amman have not previously been reported.
Asharq Al-Awsat
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Report: US Gave Syria List of Conditions for Partial Sanctions Relief
The United States has handed Syria a list of conditions that it wants Damascus to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief, six people familiar with the matter told Reuters, including ensuring foreigners are not in senior governing roles. US Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Levant and Syria Natasha Franceschi gave the list of demands to Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18, according to two of the people - a US official and a Syrian source familiar with the matter. Reuters was first to report both the list and the in-person meeting, the first high-level direct contact between Damascus and Washington since US President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, has been previously reported. Reuters spoke to six sources for this story, including two US officials, a Syrian source, a regional diplomat and two sources in Washington familiar with the matter. They all requested anonymity to discuss the high-level diplomacy. Among the conditions placed by the United States are Syria's destruction of any remaining chemical weapons stores and cooperation on counter-terrorism, the two US officials, the Syrian source and both sources in Washington said. Another demand was making sure foreign fighters are not installed in senior roles in Syria's governing structure, the US officials and one of the sources in Washington said. Syria has already appointed some foreign ex-fighters, including Uyghurs, a Jordanian and a Turk, to its defense ministry - a move that alarmed foreign governments. Washington also asked Syria to appoint a liaison to assist US efforts to find Austin Tice, the US journalist who went missing in Syria over a decade ago, according to the two US officials and both sources in Washington. In return for fulfilling all the demands, Washington would provide some sanctions relief, all six sources said. One specific action would be a two-year extension of an existing exemption for transactions with Syrian governing institutions and possibly the issuance of another exemption. The US would also issue a statement supporting Syria's territorial integrity, the source said. Washington did not provide a specific timeline for the conditions to be fulfilled. Syria's foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comments. A spokesperson for the State Department said the agency does not "discuss our private diplomatic conversations publicly." Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce last week said Washington was monitoring the actions of the interim rulers. Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to kickstart an economy collapsed by nearly 14 years of war, during which the United States, the UK and Europe placed tough sanctions on people, businesses and whole sectors of Syria's economy in a bid to squeeze now-ousted leader Bashar al-Assad. Some of those sanctions have been temporarily suspended, with limited effect. The US issued a six-month general license in January to ease the flow of humanitarian aid, but the move was not considered enough to allow Qatar to pay for public sector salaries through Syria's central bank. Syrian officials including Shaibani and interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa have called for sanctions to be fully lifted, saying it is unjust to keep them in place following Assad's toppling by a lightning opposition offensive in December. US SYRIA POLICY IN PROGRESS The delivery of the demands is the clearest signal yet of the Trump administration's policy on Syria. US statements have focused on support for minorities and condemnations of extremism but they have otherwise said little, leaving uncertainty over the future of sanctions and whether US forces will remain deployed in the northeast. That is in part due to differing views in Washington on how to approach Syria. Some White House officials have been keen to take a more hardline stance, pointing to the new Syrian leadership's former ties to Al-Qaeda as reason to keep engagement to a minimum, according to diplomats and US sources familiar with the policymaking process. The State Department has sought a more nuanced approach to Syria, including possible areas of engagement, the sources added. The differences led earlier this month to a heated deliberation between the White House and State Department on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement denouncing violence in western Syria, where hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority - Assad's sect - were killed after an ambush on new security forces by armed loyalists to the former regime. Rubio condemned "radical terrorists" that carried out the violence, and called for Syria's interim authorities to hold perpetrators accountable. The White House sought a more harshly worded statement while the State Department pushed back to add more balance, sources familiar with the process said. Reuters reported last month that Israel was lobbying the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralized. The administration is still not fully subscribing to Israel's effort to discourage US engagement with Syria's new rulers, sources said, but some of the Israeli concerns are gaining more traction with some US officials.
MTV Lebanon
26-03-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
US Gave Syria List of Conditions for Partial Sanctions Relief
The United States has handed Syria a list of conditions that it wants Damascus to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief, six people familiar with the matter told Reuters, including ensuring foreigners are not in senior governing roles. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Levant and Syria Natasha Franceschi gave the list of demands to Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18, according to two of the people - a U.S. official and a Syrian source familiar with the matter. Reuters was first to report both the list and the in-person meeting, the first high-level direct contact between Damascus and Washington since U.S. President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, has been previously reported. Reuters spoke to six sources for this story, including two U.S. officials, a Syrian source, a regional diplomat and two sources in Washington familiar with the matter. They all requested anonymity to discuss the high-level diplomacy. Among the conditions placed by the United States are Syria's destruction of any remaining chemical weapons stores and cooperation on counter-terrorism, the two U.S. officials, the Syrian source and both sources in Washington said. Another demand was making sure foreign fighters are not installed in senior roles in Syria's governing structure, the U.S. officials and one of the sources in Washington said. Syria has already appointed some foreign ex-rebels, including Uyghurs, a Jordanian and a Turk, to its defense ministry - a move that alarmed foreign governments. Washington also asked Syria to appoint a liaison to assist U.S. efforts to find Austin Tice, the U.S. journalist who went missing in Syria over a decade ago, according to the two U.S. officials and both sources in Washington. In return for fulfilling all the demands, Washington would provide some sanctions relief, all six sources said. One specific action would be a two-year extension of an existing exemption for transactions with Syrian governing institutions and possibly the issuance of another exemption. The U.S. would also issue a statement supporting Syria's territorial integrity, the source said. Washington did not provide a specific timeline for the conditions to be fulfilled. Syria's foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comments. A spokesperson for the State Department said the agency does not "discuss our private diplomatic conversations publicly." Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce last week said Washington was monitoring the actions of the interim rulers. Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to kick start an economy collapsed by nearly 14 years of war, during which the United States, the U.K. and Europe placed tough sanctions on people, businesses and whole sectors of Syria's economy in a bid to squeeze now-ousted leader Bashar al-Assad. Some of those sanctions have been temporarily suspended, with limited effect. The U.S. issued a six-month general license in January to ease the flow of humanitarian aid, but the move was not considered enough to allow Qatar to pay for public sector salaries through Syria's central bank. Syrian officials including Shibani and interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa have called for sanctions to be fully lifted, saying it is unjust to keep them in place following Assad's toppling by a lightning rebel offensive in December. US SYRIA POLICY IN PROGRESS The delivery of the demands is the clearest signal yet of the Trump administration's policy on Syria. U.S. statements have focused on support for minorities and condemnations of Islamist extremism but they have otherwise said little, leaving uncertainty over the future of sanctions and whether U.S. forces will remain deployed in the northeast. That is in part due to differing views in Washington on how to approach Syria. Some White House officials have been keen to take a more hardline stance, pointing to the new Syrian leadership's former ties to Al-Qaeda as reason to keep engagement to a minimum, according to diplomats and U.S. sources familiar with the policymaking process. The State Department has sought a more nuanced approach to Syria, including possible areas of engagement, the sources added. The differences led earlier this month to a heated deliberation between the White House and State Department on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement denouncing violence in western Syria, where hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority - Assad's sect - were killed after an ambush on new security forces by armed loyalists to the former regime. Rubio condemned "radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis" that carried out the violence, and called for Syria's interim authorities to hold perpetrators accountable. The White House sought a more harshly worded statement while the State Department pushed back to add more balance, sources familiar with the process said. Reuters reported last month that Israel was lobbying the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralized. The administration is still not fully subscribing to Israel's effort to discourage U.S. engagement with Syria's new rulers, sources said, but some of the Israeli concerns are gaining more traction with some U.S. officials.
Express Tribune
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
US gives Syria list of conditions
The United States has handed Syria a list of conditions that it wants Damascus to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief, six people familiar with the matter told Reuters, including ensuring foreigners are not in senior governing roles. US Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Levant and Syria Natasha Franceschi gave the list of demands to Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18, according to two of the people - a US official and a Syrian source familiar with the matter. Among the conditions placed by the United States are Syria's destruction of any remaining chemical weapons stores and cooperation on counter-terrorism, the two US officials, the Syrian source and both sources in Washington said. Another demand was making sure foreign fighters are not installed in senior roles in Syria's governing structure, the US officials and one of the sources in Washington said. Syria has already appointed some foreign ex-rebels, including Uyghurs, a Jordanian and a Turk, to its defense ministry - a move that alarmed foreign governments. Washington also asked Syria to appoint a liaison to assist US efforts to find Austin Tice, the US journalist who went missing in Syria over a decade ago, according to the two US officials and both sources in Washington. In return for fulfilling all the demands, Washington would provide some sanctions relief, all six sources said. One specific action would be a two-year extension of an existing exemption for transactions with Syrian governing institutions and possibly the issuance of another exemption. The US would also issue a statement supporting Syria's territorial integrity, the source said.
