President Donald Trump has signed an executive order ending U.S. sanctions on Syria, following through on a promise
ByFATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday ending many U.S. economic sanctions on Syria, following through on a promise he made to the country’s new interim leader.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move was designed to “promote and support the country’s path to stability and peace.”
The executive order is meant to “end the country’s isolation from the international financial system, setting the stage for global commerce and galvanizing investments from its neighbors in the region, as well as from the United States,” Treasury’s acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brad Smith, told reporters on a call Monday to preview the administration’s action.
Monday’s actions do not rescind sanctions imposed on ousted former President Bashar Assad, his top aides, family members and officials who had been determined to have committed human rights abuses or been involved in drug trafficking or part of Syria’s chemical weapons program.
It also leaves intact a major set of sanctions passed by Congress targeting anyone doing business with or offering support to Syria’s military, intelligence or other suspect institutions. While the Trump administration has passed temporary waivers on those sanctions, known as the Caesar Act, they can only be perm