‘Chance at greatness’: UN lifts sanctions on Syria’s president; leader scheduled to meet Trump next week

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday voted in favor of a US-backed resolution to lift sanctions on Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa and home minister Anas Hasan Khattab.The decision removes both leaders from the UN sanctions list ahead of al-Sharaa’s planned visit to the White House next week.Al-Sharaa is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, marking the first visit by a Syrian head of state to Washington, as reported by Reuters. “Now is Syria’s chance at greatness,” said the US representative, whose delegation sponsored Resolution 2729 in the UN Security Council.Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the Security Council declared that Syria’s President and Home Minister are no longer subject to the asset freezes or travel bans imposed under earlier counterterrorism measures.In a statement, the Council said it had decided to remove both officials from its Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions list. The UNSC also reaffirmed its “strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” as cited by ANI. All 15 members of the UN Security Council voted to remove the two Syrian officials from the sanctions list, which targets individuals, groups, and entities under UN restrictions.

China abstained, stating that although the Council held multiple rounds of consultations where Beijing raised legitimate concerns about terrorism and foreign fighters in Syria, the US advanced the resolution to serve its own interests.“Syria remains in a precarious situation,” said China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Fu Cong, noting that foreign terrorist fighters, including members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, continue to threaten the country’s security and stability.

He urged the new Syrian government to work to gain the trust of the international community.The United Nations first imposed sanctions on Ahmed al-Sharaa in May 2014. The United States had introduced sanctions on Syria as early as 1979, expanding them significantly after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.These measures included restrictions on trade, investment, and energy exports. However, in May this year, Washington lifted most of its sanctions on the country.Al-Sharaa, who led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) coalition during the December 2024 offensive that overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime, later became Syria’s de facto leader. HTS had been al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria until al-Sharaa severed ties with the group in 2016.In September, al-Sharaa made history by becoming the first Syrian leader in nearly six decades to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York.