Syria's Foreign Minister meets US officials in New York for first time

Damascus is seeking the permanent lifting of sanctions, which the US has kept in place

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani at UN headquarters in New York City on April 28. AFP

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani met State Department officials in New York on Tuesday to discuss counter-terrorism priorities, a diplomat told The National.

The meeting marked the first time American officials and Mr Al Shibani have met in the US. It had to take place in New York as Mr Al Shibani and his team are not allowed to travel to Washington because of visa restrictions.

It was not immediately clear who Mr Shibani met with from the State Department.

Damascus’s new government has been seeking to mend ties with Washington, hoping for relief from debilitating sanctions imposed on the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said that “some representatives of the Syrian interim authorities are in New York for various UN meetings".

“You know that we continue to assess our Syria policy cautiously and will judge the interim authorities by their actions,” she added. “We are not normalising diplomatic relations with Syria.”

Damascus is seeking permanent sanctions relief from the US, saying the measures are deterring international organisations and companies from investing in Syria’s reconstruction. The European Union and UK have begun to lift Assad-era sanctions but the new US administration has kept them in place.

Mr Al Shibani has been in the US for meetings for several days and last week at the UN, he raised the three-star flag of Syria’s uprising as the official Syrian flag, 14 years after the war erupted.

The US last month set eight conditions for Damascus to fulfil if sanctions are to be lifted, including the destruction of remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensuring foreigners are not given senior governing roles.

The diplomat said talks with American officials would focus on counter-terrorism. The US this month said it would cut its anti-ISIS troop presence in Syria by about half.

US President Donald Trump's administration has not formally recognised Syria’s self-declared government, led by Ahmad Al Shara, a former insurgent who commanded the offensive that led to Mr 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.

At a UN Security Council meeting on Syria last week, Mr Al Shibani said sanctions are undermining stability and blocking economic recovery.