Repealing Syria sanctions is the missing piece of peace – US envoy
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – In a sweeping call to action, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack urged on Monday U.S. lawmakers to make ending sanctions on Syria the linchpin of a broader Middle East peace framework.
Barrack described Syria as “the missing piece of peace” in a region beginning to pivot from war toward reconstruction and reconciliation.
He noted to the recent repeal of major Syria sanctions by the U.S. Senate as a signal of transition — “from punishment to partnership,” noting that the country is no longer the isolated state of 2019.
The envoy added that the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, once justified in its aim to punish a brutal regime, now “suffocates a nation seeking to rebuild.” Congress’s next step, he asserted, should be full repeal of the sanctions to enable trade, investment and renewal.
Drawing on the momentum of regional agreements — including recent diplomatic ties between Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — Barrack framed economic revitalization as the most reliable deterrent to extremism.
Senior Christian clerics from Syria, he added, have appealed to Congress, warning the sanctions threaten their community’s survival. “To repeal Caesar,” he concluded, “is not to forget history — it is to shape it anew.”
Repealing Syria sanctions is the missing piece of peace – US envoy