US authorities are working to lift sanctions on Syria as quickly as possible, the State Department said on Thursday, after President Donald Trump last week ordered the end of all restrictions against Damascus.
The US has many sanctions and designations against Syria, most of them put in place to punish former president Bashar Al Assad during the country's 14-year civil war.
Mr Trump's surprise announcement while in Saudi Arabia has set off a rush by the US Treasury Department, State Department and Congress to unwind the many measures.
"It is a process that will take some time," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. "All I can say, without a specific date, is it will be done quickly, and it's certainly more quickly than we're used to."
The EU announced on Tuesday that it would also begin lifting sanctions on Syria to help its people build an "inclusive and peaceful" country.
The war-torn nation is at imminent risk of a new civil war, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Tuesday. Opening the country's economy is considered to be the fastest way to ensure stability.
