واشنطن تلغي «قانون قيصر».. سورية نحو البناء والتعافي

The Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad Al-Shaibani, welcomed the U.S. Senate's vote today (Friday) to repeal the Caesar Act, which imposed sanctions on Syria during the tenure of former President Bashar Al-Assad. He described this event as "the beginning of a new era."

Al-Shaibani stated in a post on the "X" platform: "Over the past months, under the guidance of President Ahmad Al-Shara, and with the determination of my team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have worked to lift one of the heaviest burdens that shackled our country economically and politically: the Caesar Act." He emphasized that the repeal of this law is a step that returns Syria to its first breaths and opens a new path towards reconstruction and recovery.

Diplomatic Success

Finance Minister Muhammad Yasser Barnieh stressed that the Senate's vote to repeal the Caesar Act is a success for Syrian diplomacy in getting rid of the last and most severe American sanctions imposed on the country.

He stated in a post on "Facebook" that the next step involves aligning the House of Representatives (through a joint committee with the Senate to approve the law within the Department of Defense budget), leading to President Donald Trump's signing of the new budget before the end of the year, and thus the repeal of the Caesar Act coming into effect.

Reopening the Embassy

He confirmed that if circumstances arise that necessitate the re-imposition of this law, it would take a long and non-binding path for the U.S. Congress. The Finance Minister noted that the version presented by the Senate received significant approval from lawmakers and included an additional provision calling for the reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. He said: "The sanctions are behind us, and there is no path for us except towards reconstruction, reform, and development. It is a clear message to all skeptics about the path and future of Syria."

Farid Al-Madhhan

It is worth mentioning that the Caesar Act is named after the former Syrian military police photographer, Farid Al-Madhhan, who defected from the regime in 2013, bringing with him about 55,000 images documenting torture and violations inside Syrian prisons.

The U.S. Congress, in both the House and Senate, passed the law in December 2019, and it was signed by the U.S. President as part of the 2020 Defense Budget Act.

The law imposed sanctions on Syrian figures and institutions involved in war crimes and prohibited financial dealings with influential figures in the Syrian regime or those connected to it.

It stipulated punishing any local or foreign entity that invests or deals with Syria in sectors such as energy, aviation, construction, and banking, and also targeted companies and countries supporting the Syrian regime.