UN Security Council votes to lift sanctions on Syrian president

The United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a U.S. resolution on Thursday to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, ahead of his White House visit next week.

"(The Council) decides that Ahmed al-Sharaa...and (Interior Minister) Anas Hasan Khattab are delisted from the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List," said the resolution, approved by 14 council members. China abstained.

The formal lifting of sanctions on Sharaa is largely symbolic, as they were waived every time he needed to travel outside of Syria in his role as the country's leader. An assets freeze and arms embargo will also be lifted.

Nevertheless, the move was lauded by Syria, with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani writing on X: "Syria expresses its appreciation to the United States and to friendly nations for their support of Syria and its people."

U.S. President Donald Trump will host Sharaa for talks on November 10, having said the former jihadist had made "good progress" toward establishing peace in his war-torn country.

Washington's ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz, said Sharaa's government was "working hard to fulfill its commitments on countering terrorism and narcotics, on eliminating any remnants of chemical weapons and promoting regional security and stability."

Though it will be Sharaa's first visit to Washington, it will be his second to the United States after a landmark U.N. trip in September, where the ex-jihadist became the first Syrian president in decades to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

In May, the interim leader, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the U.S. president's regional tour.

Formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, Sharaa's group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was delisted as a terrorist group by Washington as recently as July.

AFP