Syria welcomes UN move to delist leaders from sanctions

ISTANBUL

Syria hailed a UN Security Council resolution Thursday to remove President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab from the ISIS (Daesh) and al-Qaeda sanctions list.

“We welcome the UN Security Council’s resolution to remove the names of President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab from previously imposed sanctions lists, reflecting the growing confidence in the president’s leadership,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It said the resolution, the first by the Council since the fall of the former regime, “reflects the unity of the international position in supporting Syria’s stability, territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence.”

The ministry described the move as “an acknowledgment of the Syrian government’s positive and active role and its ongoing efforts to strengthen regional security and stability, and create an environment conducive to reconstruction and sustainable development in the service of the Syrian people.”

It reaffirmed Syria’s full commitment to “working jointly with the international community to realize the aspirations of the Syrian people for peace, development, reconstruction, and the building of a new Syria.”

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also hailed the UN resolution on his X account.

“Once again and not for the last time, Syrian diplomacy reaffirms its active presence and its ability to make steady progress in removing obstacles and paving the way toward a more open and stable Syrian future.”

The US-drafted resolution passed with 14 votes in favor and one abstention by China, marking a rare consensus at the council on easing restrictions tied to Syria’s leadership.

The resolution comes ahead of Sharaa's expected visit to the White House next week, where he plans to meet US President Donald Trump.

It will be the first White House visit by a Syrian president in 80 years.

Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly a quarter of a century, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, 2024, marking the end of the Baath Party’s decades-long rule, which began in 1963

Sharaa, who led the anti-regime forces that ousted Assad, was declared president for a transitional period in late January. He has pledged to rebuild the country and restore stability.