Trump dismantles Syria sanctions program; supports path to peace, stability

Washington: President Donald Trump on Monday formally dismantled US sanctions against Syria, hoping to reintegrate the war-battered country into the global economy.

Trump lifted most sanctions against Syria in May, responding to appeals from Saudi Arabia and Turkey after former hardline guerrilla Ahmed al-Sharaa ended a half-century of rule by the Assad family.

In an executive order, Trump terminated the "national emergency" in place since 2004 that imposed far-reaching sanctions on Syria, affecting most state-run institutions including the central bank.

"This is in an effort to promote and support the country's path to stability and peace," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Brad Smith, the Treasury Department official in charge of sanctions, said the move "will end the country's isolation from the international financial system, setting the stage for global commerce and galvanizing investments from its neighbors in the region as well as from the United States."

The order, released by the White House, said that Syria has been "transformed" since the fall of Assad, including through "positive actions taken by the new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa."

The orders still maintain sanctions on elements of the former government, including Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia late last year.

Syria recently carried out its first electronic transfer through the international banking system since around the time it descended into a brutal civil war in 2011.

Despite the upbeat picture of the new Syrian leader, the country has seen a series of major attacks against minorities since the fall of Assad.

At least 25 people were killed and dozens more wounded in a suspected Islamist attack against a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus on June 22.