William Roebuck to North-Press: US sanctions do not target North and East Syria
Hasakah – North-Press Agency
Delsoz Youssef
On Saturday, after a meeting in Hasakah with representatives of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Deputy Special Envoy of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS William Roebuck told North-Press that the Caesar Act sanctions against Syria "will not target the regions of North and East Syria or the Syrian people. Rather, it will target the Syrian regime only." He stated that they “will fund Autonomous Administration-controlled areas to overcome the coronavirus crisis.”
The American ambassador held a virtual meeting with the representatives of the councils and civil administrations in the cities of Kobani and Manbij to discuss the security and economic conditions in North and East Syria.
After the meetings ended, Roebuck said in a special statement to North-Press that he "listened to the comments of civil council's administrators and allayed their concerns about the Caesar sanctions,
which will be applied to the Syrian regime only." He added: "The US sanctions target neither the North and East regions nor the Syrian people".
The sanctions are due to enter into force in June, according to what US Envoy to Syria James Jeffrey, announced in early May.
The origin of the Caesar Act’s name comes from a Syrian military photographer who defected from the Syrian government in 2014, and leaked 55,000 photos of 11,000 prisoners who tortured to death. The name “Caesar” was used to conceal his true identity.
Roebuck also indicated that he listened to the concerns expressed by the representatives of the committees regarding the corona pandemic, adding, "I assured them that the United States will finance the region's economy to overcome this crisis."
Roebuck mentioned that they discussed the Islamic State’s (ISIS) revival in the region, saying, "We both confirmed that ISIS is still a threat, and we expressed the importance of relations with the US in the midst of the war against ISIS."
Roebuck will hold more meetings with the representatives of civil councils in northeastern Syria over the next two days to discuss various aspects of life and listen to their views.