Washington– Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has called on the United States to lift sanctions on Syria, saying the measures hinder basic services and stability in the war-torn country.
Speaking to Qatar’s Al Jazeera after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Tuesday, Al Thani said: “It is very important to lift the sanctions on Syria so its government can operate and provide services to the Syrian people.”
The Qatari foreign ministry said in a separate statement, carried by state-run QNA, that the two top diplomats also discussed regional developments, particularly in Gaza, the occupied Palestinian territories, Syria, and Lebanon, alongside the strategic U.S.-Qatar partnership.
Related: EU Ties Syria Sanctions Relief to Conditions
Qatar, a prominent ally of the United States and regional mediator, has intensified efforts to foster consensus among Arab states regarding re-engagement with Syria’s transitional government, which assumed power following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last year.
In Washington, momentum appears to be building around revisiting U.S. sanctions policy. Senator Jeanne Shaheen told Al Jazeera she has urged the Biden administration to reduce short-term sanctions risks and expand humanitarian exemptions to avoid worsening Syria’s already dire conditions.
“Reducing sanctions can help prevent instability and create space to protect U.S. interests,” Shaheen said, noting she had written to the Departments of State and Treasury to ease restrictions on key sectors.
Separately, U.S. Representative Cory Mills, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he had recently met with Syria’s transitional leader Ahmed Al-Shara and discussed the future of U.S. sanctions. “It’s in America’s interest to see a stable Syria,” he told Sky News Arabia.
U.S. sanctions on Syria, many imposed under the Caesar Act in 2020, were designed to pressure the Assad regime over war crimes and rights violations. While Assad has since been ousted, Washington has yet to formally shift its stance toward the new transitional authority.
