UN Security Council considers easing Syria sanctions in major policy shift

The UN Security Council is reviewing a draft resolution that would ease long-standing sanctions on Syria, in what diplomats describe as the most significant shift in international policy towards Damascus in over a decade.

The US-drafted text, circulated among the Council’s 15 members on October 9, would allow the flow of financial assets, funds and economic resources to Syria’s central government, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The draft underscores a central tension in the international community’s Syria policy: how to re-engage a government once ostracised for its brutality while maintaining pressure on armed groups still designated as terrorist organisations.

The resolution stresses that member states, including Syria, must continue to “prevent and suppress terrorist acts committed specifically by ISIS and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al Qaeda or ISIS,” while ensuring that no Syrian actor provides support to such groups.

If adopted, the measure would also relax limits on arms transfers, allowing, under UN supervision, the provision of equipment and technical expertise for narrowly defined purposes, including chemical weapons disposal, nuclear protection and demining operations. Diplomats say these steps are essential for rebuilding infrastructure and enabling displaced Syrians to return home.

The draft also calls for delisting President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Interior Minister, Anas Khattab, from the UN’s sanctions list “effective as of the date" of the resolution. A UN diplomat said China has indicated it is comfortable with the proposed delistings, marking a rare moment of consensus among the five permanent members of the Security Council.

Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), the dissolved militant faction forming the backbone of Al-Shara’s government, would remain under UN sanctions. HTS traces its origins to Jabhat Al Nusra, Al Qaeda’s former Syrian affiliate that rebranded itself in 2017 to shed its extremist image.

Acting under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, the draft “decides” that the asset freeze imposed under previous counter-terrorism resolutions would no longer apply to funds or economic resources provided to the Syrian government. It urges states and institutions to ensure that any money or assets do not benefit people or entities still listed under the UN’s ISIS and Al Qaeda sanctions regime.

Maya Ungar, a UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the resolution contains two provisions that could be decisive for Syria’s recovery and reconstruction.

“The first is a clarification that asset freezes no longer apply to the Syrian government, even if sanctioned individuals are part of it,” Ms Ungar said. “It’s meant to reassure risk-averse financial institutions and encourage investment. Still, many banks are likely to remain cautious, since sanctions on HTS as an organisation would remain in place even if Al Shara and Khattab are delisted.”

“The second element,” she added, “involves a limited easing of the arms embargo to allow UN nuclear and chemical weapons agencies – as well as mine-action services – to operate more effectively in Syria. This clarification is intended to make reconstruction and development a smoother process.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev