Syria welcomes Trump's remarks on possibility of sanctions relief

Damascus has been seeking to mend ties with Washington

US President Donald Trump prepares to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday May 12. AFP

Syria welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks late on Monday indicating he was considering sanctions relief to the country as the new authorities seek to rebuilt it after more than a decade of civil war.

“We are going to have to make a decision on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve. We may take them off of Syria because we want to give them a fresh start,” Mr Trump told journalists at the White House. He was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to begin his Gulf tour and the first official visit abroad of his second presidency.

In Foreign Ministry statement, Syria said it welcomed Mr Trump's statement and “regards them an encouraging step towards alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people.”

“The Syrian people aspire to a full lifting of these sanctions, as part of broader measures that support peace and prosperity in both Syria and the region,” it added.

Damascus’s self-declared government has been seeking to mend ties with Washington, hoping for relief from debilitating sanctions.

The Trump administration has not formally recognised Syria’s government, led by Ahmad Al Shara, a former Islamist insurgent who commanded the offensive that led to Bashar Al Assad's removal. Apart from providing limited sanctions relief, Washington has maintained most restrictions, complicating Damascus’s efforts to reintegrate into the global economy.

The US has said it will wait to see how the new authorities exercise their power and ensure human rights before lifting sanctions, opting instead for targeted and temporary exemptions.

Western sanctions, which were issued mostly after the fallen regime's repression of anti-government protesters in 2011, have restricted Syria's ability to rebuild since the former president was toppled in December.

The new Syrian authorities have been pushing for US and European sanctions to be lifted, arguing that they were imposed on the Assad regime.

Last month, the UK ended restrictions on a dozen Syrian entities, including government bodies and media outlets, while the EU has started reducing its measures.