Dozens of religious, political and humanitarian leaders have signed a letter calling on US President Joe Biden to lift economic sanctions on Syria, saying they “severely harm” civilians in the war-ravaged country.
A letter signed by the leaders of Syrian churches and religious and humanitarian groups urged the new administration to “lift its complex web of economic sanctions that severely harm the people of Syria”.
Sanctions scare off aid groups and developers from work that would benefit ordinary Syrians, making them a "collective punishment of the civilian population" that are "driving Syria into an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe", it says.
“Millions of hard-pressed Syrians will go to bed hungry and cold tonight. Unilateral coercive measures imposed by the US make the economic plight of the Syrian people worse,” says the letter, which is dated January 21.
“We urge you … to help Syrians to alleviate a humanitarian crisis that threatens to trigger a new wave of instability in the Middle East and beyond."
It calls for recommendations from UN experts to be implemented.
The letter was signed by Michel Abs, secretary general of the Middle East Council of Churches, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Youssef Absi and other leaders of churches in Syria and across the region.
Other signatures came from John Eibner, chief executive of Christian Solidarity International, former Tunisian ambassador to Unesco Mezri Haddad, former archbishop of Canterbury George Carey and Makram Khoury-Machool, director of Cambridge University’s centre for extremism.
The White House did not reply to The National's request for comment.
A White House directive on Thursday called for a governmentwide review of all US sanctions to see if they are “unduly hindering responses to the Covid-19 pandemic” overseas.
Also, the page on the US State Department website on the Caesar Act – which significantly raised the business risk of linking up with the Syrian regime and its associates – has been archived.
The letter refers to the work of Alena Douhan, a UN expert on unilateral sanctions, who last year criticised the administration of former president Donald Trump for imposing too broad a range of sanctions on Syria.
Sanctions deter aid groups from rebuilding bombed-out schools, homes and hospitals in Syria, make it harder for doctors to import CT scanners and other medical equipment, and even prevent them from using remote working technologies like Zoom, Ms Douhan told The National.
The US slapped sanctions on the government of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in 2011 but significantly ramped these up in June 2020 under the Caesar Act, which was passed by Congress the previous year.
Using the code name of a prominent regime defector, the act aimed to choke off revenue for Mr Al Assad’s government, in a bid to force it back into UN-led negotiations and broker an end to the country’s decade-long war.
Advocates of the Caesar Act, including Syrian anti-war campaigners, say it targets regime bigwigs and their backers in Russia, Iran and beyond with travel bans and asset freezes, while letting aid flow to those in need.
So far, the US has placed sanctions on more than 110 people and entities under the act. In December, Washington put more sanctions on Syrian first lady Asma Al Assad and her family members based in the UK, as well as several Syrian shipping, construction, plastic and freight companies.
Millions of people have left Syria and millions more have fled their homes since a crackdown by the government on protesters in 2011 led to a multi-front civil war that has dragged in Russia, Iran, Turkey, the US and others.
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
