President Donald Trump has already suspended the implementation of the sanctions twice.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has called for a permanent lifting of the sanctions, fearing that as long as the measures remain in place, they will deter companies wary of legal risks in the world’s largest economy.
The Senate passed the 2019 repeal of the Caesar Act as part of a comprehensive annual military package. The Senate voted 77 to 20 for the bill, which has already been approved by the House of Representatives and is expected to be signed by Trump.
The repeal, widely supported by lawmakers in both parties, “is a decisive step toward giving the Syrian people a real chance to rebuild after decades of unimaginable suffering,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Damascus hailed the decision as a turning point.
– We express our gratitude and respect to the US Senate for supporting the Syrian people and voting for the repeal of Caesar’s law – said Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
He described that move as “a positive development that opens new horizons for cooperation and partnership between our country and the world”.
Caesar’s Law, named after an anonymous photographer who documented atrocities in Assad’s prisons, severely restricted investment and cut Syria off from the international banking system.
The law was intended to prevent the flow of foreign firms to rebuild Syria at a time when Assad appeared to be triumphant after more than a decade of brutal civil war that caused a massive influx of refugees to Europe and helped give rise to ISIS.
Al-Sharaa – now dressed in a business suit and seeking better relations with the West – has impressed Trump, including when they first met during the US leader’s visit to Riyadh in May, AFP reports.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
