The US House of Representatives voted to pass a $900 billion defense policy bill, which includes a provision to repeal a set of US sanctions on Syria that were imposed under its former leader, Bashar al-Assad, on Wednesday.
The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act was passed in 2019 and applied wide-ranging sanctions on Syria, targeting individuals, companies, and institutions linked to Assad.
Assad’s government was ousted by forces led by now-President Ahmed al-Sharaa last year. In May, US President Donald Trump said he planned on removing the sanctions after meeting with al-Sharaa, and his administration temporarily lifted them. However, permanent removal can only be achieved through an act of Congress.
The bill requires regular reports on Syrian government
The provision in the bill, now on its way to the Senate, repeals the Caesar Act and requires regular reports from the president certifying that the Syrian government is still committed to eliminating ISIS and other terrorist groups and is not financing, assisting, or harboring groups or individuals that are harmful to the national security of the US or US allies.
The Senate is due to discuss the bill next week, and Trump affirmed he will sign the bill once it arrives on his desk.
The Syrian government must also make progress in providing security and government representation to religious and ethnic minorities.
Also required in the provision is for Syria not to take “unilateral, unprovoked military action against its neighbors, including the State of Israel.”
The bill specifies that if these cannot be certified twice a year for the next four years, the sanctions will be reimposed.
The removal of these sanctions is expected to aid Syria’s economic revival and the success of Syria’s new government.