Washington – The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution to lift sanctions imposed on Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, according to a report published Wednesday by Al-Monitor.
The report states that the U.S. is also seeking to remove Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani from the U.N. terrorism sanctions list, which currently includes individuals affiliated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Citing diplomatic sources, Al-Monitor reported that the U.S. has circulated copies of the draft resolution to key Western members of the Security Council, including the United Kingdom and France. The move is expected to face resistance from China.
The U.N. sanctions currently in place impose travel restrictions that require a special exemption for international movement. The draft resolution also proposes expanding humanitarian exemptions on arms restrictions, allowing U.N. agencies to use necessary equipment for demining and related operations without violating dual-use regulations.
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Initial versions of the draft included the removal of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate and led by Syria’s current president known as Al-Jolani) from the U.N. terrorism list. However, the U.S. reportedly modified the draft after anticipating objections from Council members, especially China.
Instead, the U.S. may seek to delist HTS via the U.N. Sanctions Committee, which operates behind closed doors, avoiding a public vote in the Security Council.
Al-Monitor also noted that it remains uncertain whether the proposed delisting of President Al-Sharaa will be approved before the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in New York this September, where he is expected to deliver the first address by a Syrian head of state to the U.N. since 1967.
Last month, the U.S. State Department officially revoked HTS’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The decision followed consultations with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, according to the Federal Register.
