UN Security Council discusses, under the Greek presidency, the lifting of sanctions on Syria

The UN Security Council is meeting on Tuesday for its regular monthly briefing on Syria, chaired by Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis.

The briefing will be conducted by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Geir Pedersen, and the Director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ramesh Rajasingham, and will be followed by closed consultations.

The meeting takes place as Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa and former leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organisation, which has been designated a terrorist organisation by the UN Security Council, is pursuing an extensive diplomatic approach to restore the country’s international standing.

On May 13, US President Donald Trump announced the lifting of all US sanctions against Syria, following a meeting with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Saudi Arabia. According to the White House, the request came from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

At the time Trump made five demands: normalisation of relations with Israel within the framework of the Abraham Accords, the withdrawal of all “foreign terrorists” from Syria, the expulsion of Palestinian militants, support against the resurgence of ISIS, and taking responsibility for ISIS detention centres. These are expected to be repeated at the meeting.

On May 20, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas announced the decision of the foreign ministers to lift all economic sanctions against Syria, provided there is progress on reforms.

Pedersen welcomed the development, saying that the lifting of sanctions “can unlock regional support and basic services.”

Greek positions on Syria:

For Athens, a stable and prosperous Syria is in the interest of regional stability.

Athens’ support for Syria is not unconditional: the suspension of sanctions is conditional, gradual and reversible. The condition set by Athens is respect for religious and ethnic communities and an inclusive political transition that will take care of all citizens of the country, without external interference.

Also for Athens, the transitional government should demonstrate in practice its commitment to international law, including the International Law of the Sea, taking into account the interests of its European neighbours.

Πηγή: pagenews.gr