US Congress Lifts Sanctions on Syria

(Patria) - The US Congress on Wednesday permanently lifted sanctions imposed on Syria under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, paving the way for the return of investments to the war-ravaged nation, AFP reported.

President Donald Trump had already suspended the sanctions twice, in response to requests from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, allies of the new government led by former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa.

However, Sharaa sought a permanent lifting of the sanctions, fearing that as long as the measures remain in place, they would deter businesses wary of legal risks in the world's largest economy.

The Senate approved the repeal of the 2019 Caesar Act as part of a comprehensive annual defense package. The Senate voted 77 to 20 in favor of the bill, which had already been approved by the House of Representatives and is expected to be signed by Trump.

The repeal, widely supported by lawmakers from both parties, is "a decisive step toward giving the Syrian people a real chance for recovery after decades of unimaginable suffering," said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The Caesar Act, named after an anonymous photographer who documented crimes in Assad's prisons, severely restricted investments and cut Syria off from the international banking system.

The law aimed to prevent a flood of foreign companies from rebuilding Syria at a time when Assad appeared to have triumphed after more than a decade of brutal war. Sharaa's fighters captured Damascus a year ago in a lightning offensive.