The bloc announced it is suspending transportation, energy, and banking sanctions on Syria as part of efforts to support “an inclusive political transition” and “swift economic recovery, reconstruction, and stabilization” in the country (Politico)
The Council of the European Union said it would monitor the steps and continue to assess its sanctions policy (European Council)
Government Official Committee: Nonstate Groups Should Lay Down Their Weapons to Participate in National Conference on Syria’s Future
The U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces is a holdout group that has not yet agreed to merge into the new Syrian government, though talks are ongoing (Reuters;France24)
Vladimir Putin Speaks With Syria’s New President for First Time
Putin called Syria’s new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, marking the first formal contact between the two countries’ top leadership; the two leaders discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation but did not discuss the futures of the Russian air and naval bases which are currently stationed in Syria (AP)
U.S. Grants Funding-Freeze Exemption to Security Contractor at Al-Hom Camp in Syria
The waiver provides a one-month extension for operations to continue at the camp, where 39,000 Islamic State (ISIS) militants are housed, along with their families and refugees; the camp is viewed as a hotspot for radicalization and recruitment (NYT)
United States Reportedly Plans to Withdraw All Troops From Syria
The Department of Defense is working to develop plans for full withdrawal within either thirty, sixty, or ninety days; President Trump has repeatedly stated his interest in cutting U.S. involvement in the country (NBC)
Car Bomb Kills Twenty in Northern Syrian City of Manbij
This marks the deadliest attack in Syria since the toppling of the Assad regime; no group has stepped forward to claim responsibility (Reuters)
Ahmad al-Sharaa Visits Riyadh in First Foreign Trip Since Being Named Interim President
The move symbolizes Syria’s distance from Iran since the rebel takeover; Saudi Arabia has pledged to invest in Syria’s reconstruction (AFP,FT)
Former Rebel Leader Ahmad al-Sharaa Gives First Speech Since Being Declared Interim President
Al-Sharaa pledged to pursue those who had “committed massacres and crimes“ and to hold a “national dialogue conference” (BBC)
Syrian Commanders Name Al-Sharaa Interim President
Armed factions that ousted Bashar al-Assad from Syria declared former rebel commander Ahmad al-Sharaa the country’s interim president at a closed meeting, a spokesperson said; he also announced the cancellation of Syria’s 2012 constitution and the dissolution of its legislature, army, security agencies, and rebel groups (AP)
Al-Sharaa said he aimed to fill the country’s governance vacuum “in a legitimate and legal way,” but did not announce a timeline for appointing a new legislature—leaving open questions about how differences between the country’s many factions will be handled (Reuters,NYT)
Al-Sharaa ran Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the flash offensive that toppled the Assad government; HTS remains on a U.S. terrorism list, though the Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence officials cooperated with Syria’s rebel government to thwart a planned attack by the self-declared Islamic State earlier this month (WaPo)
Meanwhile, well over 81,000 Syrians have voluntarily returned to the country from Turkey since Assad’s fall, Ankara said (Anadolu)
Russian Diplomats Arrive in Syria for First Time Since Fall of Assad Regime
Syria’s transitional government held “frank” talks with a visiting Russian delegation, the Kremlin said; an unnamed Syrian source told Russia that the Syrians had sought the handover of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Moscow (Reuters)
A Syrian readout of the meeting also said it stressed the need for Russian “compensation” and “reconstruction” in the country, but did not mention military bases in the country that Moscow seeks to retain (Bloomberg)
EU Agrees on Gradual Plan to Ease Sanctions on Syria
European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc’s approach would be “step-by-step,” contingent on policy changes in Syria; while she did not specify the first steps, unnamed European diplomats told Euronews they could include the banking, energy, and transport sectors (Euronews)
UN Refugee Leader: Nearly 30 Percent of Syrians in Mideast Want to Return Home
The United Nations conducted an assessment of Syrian refugees displaced in Middle Eastern countries weeks after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Filippo Grandi told reporters; nearly 30 percent hope to return home, up from almost zero last year (Reuters)
Syria Plans Privatizations, Freezes on Former Regime Assets
Syria’s central bank ordered private banks to freeze accounts linked to the former government of Bashar al-Assad, a document seen by Reuters said (Reuters)
The central bank’s governor was replaced after the rebel takeover (Central Banking)
Syria’s foreign minister this week said the government would privatize several state-owned companies as part of its economic overhaul (FT)
French Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Syria’s Ousted Dictator
This is the second French arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia after last month’s rebel takeover of Syria; it accuses Assad of a role in a 2017 bombing that killed a Franco-Syrian (RFI)
Mother of Missing U.S. Journalist Austin Tice Meets With Syria’s New Transitional Leader About Efforts to Find Him
Tice was abducted in 2012; his mother Debra said Syria’s new leaders expressed determination to find Tice but that the upheaval of the recent rebel takeover made the search feel “like starting all over again” (NYT)
Six EU Countries Call for Temporary Lifting of Syria Sanctions
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain called for the European Union (EU) to lift sanctions in sectors including transportation, energy, and banking, according to a document seen by Reuters; they suggested a snapback sanctions mechanism in place of sanctions if Syria’s new government does not meet the bloc’s human rights expectations (Reuters)
The United States issued a sanctions exemption for Syria last week (Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Holds First Meeting with Syria’s Transitional Leader
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for coordination on border security and the return of more than one million Syrian refugees currently in Lebanon during his meeting with Ahmad al-Shara (Al Jazeera)
Last week, Syrian militants fired at Lebanese soldiers on the shared border, prompting a phone call between the two leaders; al-Shara said the Syrian authorities were working to restore calm (NYT)
Lebanese Prime Minister Calls for Border Security in Meeting with New Syrian Government
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for joint work in regard to border security and the return of more than one million Syrian refugees currently in Lebanon during his first meeting with Syria’s transitional leader Ahmad al-Shara (Al Jazeera)
Last week, Syrian militants fired at Lebanese soldiers on the shared border, prompting a phone call between the two leaders; al-Shara said the Syrian authorities were working to restore calm. (NYT)
Biden Administration Opts Not to Lift Terrorist Designation on Syrian Rebel Group Running the Country’s Transitional Government
The designation affects the ease of lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria; the decision on whether to lift the designation will now fall on President-elect Trump when he assumes office (WaPo)
U.S. Treasury Issues Licenses for Aid to Syria
The Treasury Department will issue six-month waivers to allow humanitarian aid and essential supplies, including fuels, to reach the country; the move eased some restrictions previously in place on aid (WSJ)
However, the Biden administration left broad sanctions intact until more can be observed about the conduct of Syria’s new government (NYT)
Government Plans to Hike Public Sector Salaries by 400 Percent
The country’s caretaker finance minister said the pay raise was part of initial efforts to address the country’s economic crisis; the funding would come from a combination of state resources, regional aid, and the unfreezing of Syrian assets abroad (Reuters)
Syrian Delegation Visits Saudi Arabia in First Post-Assad Foreign Trip
Riyadh had begun re-engaging with Syria’s former leader Bashar al-Assad shortly before his ouster last month, but it has quickly embraced the victorious rebel government; Saudi Arabia sent three planes of humanitarian aid to Syria and called for the lifting of international sanctions on the country (FT)
Syrian Rebel Leader Holds Separate Talks With Jordan, Turkey
Jordan’s foreign minister became the highest-ranking envoy of an Arab country to meet with Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa today, offering support for Syria’s reconstruction (Reuters)
Yesterday, Turkey’s foreign minister also held a meeting with Sharaa, after which he called on the Syrian Kurdish militia known as the People’s Protection Units to disband; Washington has backed Kurdish fighters in their efforts against the self-declared Islamic State (Reuters)
U.S. Diplomats Visit Syrian Capital for First Time in Over Ten Years
The U.S. delegation, including the top State Department official for the Middle East and a hostage envoy, is meeting today with representatives of rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham as well as activists and members of civil society and minority groups; they are discussing the country’s political transition as well as efforts to find and bring back Americans who disappeared in the Bashar al-Assad regime, including journalist Austin Tice (WaPo)
The visit of U.S. diplomats is the first to Syria since the United States closed its embassy in 2012 (AP)
Among the many factors that remain unclear about the transition is the fate of U.S. troops stationed in Syria; yesterday, the Defense Department disclosed the number of personnel there to be around two thousand, up from the nine hundred tally it has been citing for years (AP)
The troops were sent before Assad’s ouster to enhance operations against the self-declared Islamic State, a Pentagon spokesperson said (Reuters)
The United States in recent days has stepped up strikes against ISIS targets in Syria over concerns it could grow inside the country’s power vacuum; several governments, including the United States, stressed the importance of prohibiting the reemergence of terrorism in Syria at a recent meeting in Jordan (State Department)
White House Gave Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham List of Former Officials Who Might Have Information About American Journalist Austin Tice
The rebel group said it would help search for Tice, who was abducted in Damascus in 2012 (NYT)