U.S. President Donald Trump is anticipated to sign an executive order on Monday ending U.S. sanctions on Syria, following through on his earlier promise to accomplish that.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move was designed to “promote and support the country’s path to stability and peace.” Sanctions will remain in place on former President Bashar Assad, his associates and others, she said.
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The U.S. granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions in May, which was a primary step toward fulfilling the Republican president’s pledge to lift a half-century of penalties on a rustic shattered by 13 years of civil war.
Trump met with Syria’s interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia in May and told Al-Sharaa that he would lift sanctions and explore normalizing relations in a serious policy shift between the U.S. and Syria.
“That is one other promise made and promise kept,” Leavitt said Monday.
The European Union has also followed through with lifting nearly all remaining sanctions on Syria.
Canada announced in March it was taking steps to ease existing sanctions for a six-month period, which it called a “period of transition” following the toppling of the Assad regime.
—With additional files from Global News
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