Latest news with #al-Shibani
Shafaq News
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Baghdad Summit: Syria hails end of sanctions as turning point for recovery
Shafaq News/ Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani on Saturday welcomed US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Syria, calling it a pivotal step toward national recovery and reconstruction. Speaking at the 34th Arab League Summit in Baghdad, al-Shibani said the US move reflects 'a genuine Arab diplomatic effort' and expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia and Turkiye for their roles in achieving the breakthrough. He also thanked Qatar for its 'consistent and principled stance' in supporting the Syrian people, as well as the UAE and other Arab countries that stood by Syria. Al-Shibani affirmed that the Syrian people have remained committed to their Arab identity and view the Arab world as their natural refuge. 'Syria paid a high price for the policies of the previous regime but is now returning to the Arab fold.' 'The new Syria is for all its citizens…a country free of exclusion and discrimination, open to all and hostile to none,' he added, noting that the country has taken serious steps toward national recovery, engaged in a dialogue that ensures representation, and is continuing to work diligently to achieve transitional justice. While rejecting any initiative aimed at weakening Syria or dividing its territory, he reiterated the new government's firm stance against any violations, particularly from the Israeli side, describing them as 'a threat to regional stability.' Al-Shibani also warned that Syria continues to face a series of destabilizing threats, including the remnants of ISIS, which he said are being manipulated by external powers for political leverage and security pressure. Regarding Gaza, al-Shibani called for a renewed push for peace in the region. 'It is time for our region to enjoy stability, for our people to live with dignity, and for the compass to return to its rightful direction,' he concluded.
Indian Express
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
US lists demands at UN as Syria seeks sanctions relief
The United States publicly spelled out at the United Nations on Friday the steps it wants Syria to take before Washington will change its stance toward the country, as Syria's foreign minister appealed for tough sanctions to be lifted. Reuters reported last month that Washington had handed Syria a list of conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief. On Friday, acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea listed them publicly. She said the US wants Syria's authorities to fully renounce and suppress terrorism, adopt a policy of non-aggression to neighboring states, exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles, prevent Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory, destroy weapons of mass destruction, assist in the recovery of US citizens disappeared in Syria, and ensure the security and freedoms of all Syrians. 'The United States continues to observe the actions of the interim authorities and will determine our actions based on a pattern of behavior. The core leadership must move beyond its past,' Shea told the 15-member Security Council. Former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December by a lightning rebel offensive after a brutal 14-year civil war and there is now a new Islamist leadership in Damascus. The newly adopted Syrian flag was raised at the UN on Friday. SYRIA SEEKS TO SHOW PROGRESS Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, addressing the Security Council for the first time, sought to show that Syria was addressing some of the demands listed by the U.S. and appealed for sanctions to be lifted. 'Those who demand more from Syria are the same ones who insist on maintaining many sanctions imposed against it. These sanctions force Syria to play the role of an aid dependent country rather than being a partner in global economic growth,' he told the Security Council. Tough US sanctions imposed during Assad's rule remain in place. In January, the US issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid, but this has had limited effect and Reuters reported in February that efforts to pay public sector salaries with foreign financing had been hampered by uncertainty over whether it could breach U.S. sanctions. 'These restrictive measures imposed against the previous regime prevent capital and expertise from entering our country while allowing illicit networks to flourish,' al-Shibani said. He said Syria was combating Islamic State militants, working constructively with the U.N. chemical weapons watchdog, uniting military factions, preserving state institutions and taking steps toward constitutional reform. It had also launched a national dialogue, he said. 'We will also announce genuine steps towards a national parliament that represents the Syrian people,' al-Shibani said.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US lists demands at UN as Syria seeks sanctions relief
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States publicly spelled out at the United Nations on Friday the steps it wants Syria to take before Washington will change its stance toward the country, as Syria's foreign minister appealed for tough sanctions to be lifted. Reuters reported last month that Washington had handed Syria a list of conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief. On Friday, acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea listed them publicly. She said the U.S. wants Syria's authorities to fully renounce and suppress terrorism, adopt a policy of non-aggression to neighboring states, exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles, prevent Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory, destroy weapons of mass destruction, assist in the recovery of U.S. citizens disappeared in Syria, and ensure the security and freedoms of all Syrians. "The United States continues to observe the actions of the interim authorities and will determine our actions based on a pattern of behavior. The core leadership must move beyond its past," Shea told the 15-member Security Council. Former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December by a lightning rebel offensive after a brutal 14-year civil war and there is now a new Islamist leadership in Damascus. The newly adopted Syrian flag was raised at the U.N. on Friday. SYRIA SEEKS TO SHOW PROGRESS Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, addressing the Security Council for the first time, sought to show that Syria was addressing some of the demands listed by the U.S. and appealed for sanctions to be lifted. "Those who demand more from Syria are the same ones who insist on maintaining many sanctions imposed against it. These sanctions force Syria to play the role of an aid dependent country rather than being a partner in global economic growth," he told the Security Council. Tough U.S. sanctions imposed during Assad's rule remain in place. In January, the U.S. issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid, but this has had limited effect and Reuters reported in February that efforts to pay public sector salaries with foreign financing had been hampered by uncertainty over whether it could breach U.S. sanctions. "These restrictive measures imposed against the previous regime prevent capital and expertise from entering our country while allowing illicit networks to flourish," al-Shibani said. He said Syria was combating Islamic State militants, working constructively with the U.N. chemical weapons watchdog, uniting military factions, preserving state institutions and taking steps toward constitutional reform. It had also launched a national dialogue, he said. "We will also announce genuine steps towards a national parliament that represents the Syrian people," al-Shibani said. He said Syria would establish a commission for missing persons and was ready to coordinate with the U.S. to also search for Americans missing in Syria.
Reuters
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US lists demands at UN as Syria seeks sanctions relief
UNITED NATIONS, April 25 (Reuters) - The United States publicly spelled out at the United Nations on Friday the steps it wants Syria to take before Washington will change its stance toward the country, as Syria's foreign minister appealed for tough sanctions to be lifted. Reuters reported last month that Washington had handed Syria a list of conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief. On Friday, acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea listed them publicly. She said the U.S. wants Syria's authorities to fully renounce and suppress terrorism, adopt a policy of non-aggression to neighboring states, exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles, prevent Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory, destroy weapons of mass destruction, assist in the recovery of U.S. citizens disappeared in Syria, and ensure the security and freedoms of all Syrians. "The United States continues to observe the actions of the interim authorities and will determine our actions based on a pattern of behavior. The core leadership must move beyond its past," Shea told the 15-member Security Council. Former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December by a lightning rebel offensive after a brutal 14-year civil war and there is now a new Islamist leadership in Damascus. The newly adopted Syrian flag was raised at the U.N. on Friday. SYRIA SEEKS TO SHOW PROGRESS Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, addressing the Security Council for the first time, sought to show that Syria was addressing some of the demands listed by the U.S. and appealed for sanctions to be lifted. "Those who demand more from Syria are the same ones who insist on maintaining many sanctions imposed against it. These sanctions force Syria to play the role of an aid dependent country rather than being a partner in global economic growth," he told the Security Council. Tough U.S. sanctions imposed during Assad's rule remain in place. In January, the U.S. issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid, but this has had limited effect and Reuters reported in February that efforts to pay public sector salaries with foreign financing had been hampered by uncertainty over whether it could breach U.S. sanctions. "These restrictive measures imposed against the previous regime prevent capital and expertise from entering our country while allowing illicit networks to flourish," al-Shibani said. He said Syria was combating Islamic State militants, working constructively with the U.N. chemical weapons watchdog, uniting military factions, preserving state institutions and taking steps toward constitutional reform. It had also launched a national dialogue, he said. "We will also announce genuine steps towards a national parliament that represents the Syrian people," al-Shibani said. He said Syria would establish a commission for missing persons and was ready to coordinate with the U.S. to also search for Americans missing in Syria.
Toronto Star
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
New Syrian foreign minister attends UN Security Council in first US appearance since Assad's fall
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Syria's foreign minister attended a U.N. Security Council briefing Friday after raising his country's new flag at the international body's headquarters. It was the first public appearance by a high-ranking Syrian government official in the United States since the fall of President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December. Asaad al-Shibani is in a delegation of authorities from Damascus' new government who have traveled to the United States this week in hopes of receiving relief from harsh sanctions that were imposed by America and its allies after Assad's brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011 that spiraled into a civil war. 'We are open to the international community and look forward to being treated the same way,' al-Shibani said, as reported by state-run news agency SANA. 'With the removal of the reason for the sanctions, they must be lifted.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Marking the arrival of a new Syria The presence of a new Syria was in evidence outside the U.N. headquarters as al-Shibani watched the three-starred flag previously used by opposition groups replace the two-starred flag of the Assad era as the country's official emblem. Members of the Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body, welcomed the new interim minister shortly after, saying his attendance is a 'positive step' toward a more prosperous Syria. But many countries and U.N. officials warned there is still much more work to be done. 'Syria has moved beyond a caretaker government to a new, expanded, and more diverse cabinet,' Geir Pedersen, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, told the council. ' This is an improvement from what went before. Yet it is still not a fully inclusive framework for political transition. And this leaves many Syrians unsure of their place in the emerging new Syria.' Other Syrian officials attended meetings at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund this week in Washington, but it was unclear if Trump administration officials would meet al-Shibani during the visit. 'The United States continues to closely monitor the actions of the Syrian interim authorities,' Dorothy Shea, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in her remarks. 'We remain hopeful that the interim cabinet announced by the interim authorities at the end of March represents a positive step.' But, she added, the U.S. expects 'to see additional action and the appointment of more qualified and representative individuals to serve in critical positions.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The US hasn't recognized the new government yet President Donald Trump's administration has yet to officially recognize the current Syrian government of Ahmad al-Sharaa, an Islamist former insurgent who led the offensive that toppled Assad. The Republican administration has also left the Assad-era sanctions in place, although it has provided temporary relief to some restrictions. The militant group that al-Sharaa led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, remains a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Two Republican members of the U.S. Congress, Reps. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Cory Mills of Florida, arrived in Damascus last week on an unofficial visit organized by a Syrian-American nonprofit group and met with al-Sharaa and other government officials. Mills told The Associated Press before meeting with al-Sharaa that 'ultimately, it's going to be the president's decision' to lift sanctions or not, although he said that 'Congress can advise.' Mills later told Bloomberg News that he had discussed the U.S. conditions for sanctions relief with al-Sharaa, including ensuring the destruction of chemical weapons left over from the Assad era, coordinating on counterterrorism, making a plan to deal with foreign militants who fought alongside the armed opposition to Assad, and providing assurances to Israel that Syria wouldn't pose a threat. He also said that al-Sharaa had said that Syria could normalize relations with Israel 'under the right conditions,' without specifying what those conditions are. Other Western countries have warmed up to the new Syrian authorities more quickly. The U.K. government on Thursday lifted sanctions against a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and media outlets, and the European Union has begun to roll back its sanctions. ___ Sewell reported from Beirut.
