EU to lift broad sanctions on Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The European Union (EU) agreed on Tuesday to lift all economic sanctions on Syria, following a policy shift signaled by U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to Riyadh.
The announcement was made during a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council held in Brussels.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), EU countries gave a green light to lifting all economic sanctions on Syria in a bid to help the war-torn country recover after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, diplomats said.
The AFP added that EU diplomats said the agreement should see sanctions cutting Syrian banks off from the global system and freezing central bank assets lifted.
But diplomats said the bloc was intending to impose new individual sanctions on those responsible for stirring ethnic tensions, following deadly attacks targeting the Alawite minority.
Other measures targeting the Assad regime and prohibiting the sale of weapons or equipment that could be used to repress civilians were set to remain in place, according to the AFP.