The Trump administration welcomed progress from the Syrian government on two U.S. priorities during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.
John Kelley, the acting U.S. alternate representative to the United Nations, told the global body, “We take note of the Syrian government’s actions so far on critical files, including the destruction of Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapons and the search for missing U.S. and foreign citizens in Syria.”
“This should give us hope for what Syrians can achieve—and set expectations for what must come next,” he said.
The council meeting addressed the political and humanitarian situations in Syria.
Shortly after meeting in Riyadh last week with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who deposed Assad six months ago, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would begin the process of lifting sanctions on the country to give Syrians “a chance at greatness.”
“U.S. government agencies are now working to execute the president’s direction on Syria sanctions,” Kelley told the council on Wednesday, noting the administration has started normalizing relations with Damascus.
“We look forward to issuing the necessary authorizations that will be critical to bringing new investment into Syria to help rebuild Syria’s economy and put the country on a path to a bright, prosperous and stable future,” Kelley said.
Al-Sharaa had long had a U.S. bounty on his head as a designated terrorist, aligned with Al-Qaeda and other groups. His group, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist organization that launched the offensive that removed Assad, is a designated terror group that announced its dissolution in January.
Israel has expressed concerns about Al-Sharaa’s leadership of Syria, given his Islamist terror background. The Jewish state has said it opposes sanctions relief and global recognition of Al-Sharaa’s authority.
Kelley called on Wednesday for Syria “to make peace with its neighbor Israel and join the Abraham Accords, ending a conflict that has plagued this region for far too long.”
Al-Sharaa initially displayed openness toward normalizing relations with Israel but has reportedly backtracked on or conditioned that possibility.
Kelley also said Washington called on Al-Sharaa to quickly rid the Syrian military of foreign terrorist fighters, “including Palestinian militias.”
