The UN Security Council approved a U.S.-led resolution lifting sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ahead of his White House visit.
Since Sharaa was exempt from the sanctions each time he had to travel outside of Syria in his capacity as the nation's leader, the official lifting of the restrictions is mostly symbolic. Additionally, the arms embargo and asset freeze will be repealed.
"(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 former jihadist has made "good progress" in bringing peace to his war-torn nation, according to US President Donald Trump, who will meet with the Syrian leader on November 10.
Even though it will be Sharaa's first trip to Washington, it will be his second visit to the US following a historic UN visit in September, during which the former jihadist addressed the UN General Assembly in New York, becoming the first Syrian president to do so in decades.
During the US president's regional tour in Riyadh in May, the temporary leader whose rebel troops overthrew longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad late last year met Trump for the first time.
As recently as July, Washington delisted Sharaa's organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which had previously been associated with Al-Qaeda.
Since assuming office, Syria's new authorities have made an effort to distance themselves from their violent, extremist past and project a more acceptable image to both international powers and regular Syrians.
When Syria's president travels to Washington later this month, he will talk about reconstruction, counterterrorism, and easing the remaining sanctions, Damascus announced on Sunday.
Less than a year after Assad's overthrow, a Syrian official told AFP earlier this year that Syria anticipates finalizing security and military accords with Israel in 2025.
Israel has undertaken hundreds of attacks in Syria since December
and has placed troops in a buffer zone guarded by the UN that divides the two
nations' armed forces. There has been no reprisal from Damascus.
What are the immediate implications for US–Syria relations?
The immediate counteraccusations for US and Syria relations following the UN Security Council vote to lift warrants on Syrian President Ahmed al- Sharaa center on an implicit shift towards political engagement and normalization. The resolution removes trip bans, asset freezes, and arms vetoes against al- Sharaa, which may grease high- position meetings similar to his forthcoming White House visit.
This move signals a recalibration of US policy from insulation and warrants towards conservative engagement, contingent on Syria's cooperation with US precedences likecounter-terrorism, precluding rejuvenescence of ISIS, and political stabilization.
In the short term, anticipate increased political communication, implicit easing of profitable restrictions, and efforts to integrate Syria into broader Middle East peace and security fabrics.