Washington – U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Shea called on Syria’s transitional government to begin negotiations with Israel aimed at reaching a non-aggression agreement.
Speaking at a U.N. Security Council session on Tuesday, Shea urged Syria to take a series of political and security measures, starting with talks on non-aggression, followed by discussions on border demarcation.
She stressed that the Syrian government must also “immediately expel and ban armed Palestinian factions from its territory and present a comprehensive plan regarding the status of foreign fighters currently in Syria.”
Shea further demanded that Damascus continue its cooperation with Washington in operations against ISIS as part of the International Coalition and submit a detailed strategy for managing detention centres holding ISIS fighters in northeastern Syria, which remain under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
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She also emphasized the urgent need for countries of origin to repatriate their ISIS-affiliated nationals and their families from the Al-Hol and Roj camps in northeast Syria.
The U.S. envoy expressed satisfaction with the growing cooperation between Syria’s transitional government, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), describing the progress as “encouraging steps toward resolving long-standing issues.”
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Shea noted that the U.S. has entered “a new era” in its relationship with Syria following the historic meeting between President Donald Trump and Syria’s transitional leader Ahmad Al-Shara in Saudi Arabia last month. She also highlighted that the U.S. is actively working to lift remaining sanctions on Syria.
According to Shea, the recent decisions by the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury to ease sanctions are already yielding results. She cited a $7 billion investment agreement involving American, Qatari, and Turkish companies to launch energy projects in Syria.
She called on other U.N. member states to consider similar sanctions relief measures to support Syria’s recovery and reconstruction efforts.
U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack described the raising of the American flag in Damascus as “a positive symbol of the U.S. role in Syria’s reconstruction and economic revival.”
President Trump and Syrian transitional leader Ahmad Al-Shara met on May 14 in Saudi Arabia in the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The day before, Trump announced the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria during the opening of the Saudi-American Investment Forum.
