Six EU nations call for temporary Syria sanctions relief

(Reuters) - Six member states of the European Union have called for the bloc to temporarily suspend sanctions on Syria in areas such as transport, energy and banking, according to a paper seen by Reuters.

EU foreign ministers are set to discuss relaxing Syria sanctions during a meeting in Brussels on Jan. 27.

European leaders began reassessing their policy toward Damascus after the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad by insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is designated as a terrorist group by the United States and most other countries, as well as the United Nations.

The document, signed by Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Finland and Denmark, said the EU "should immediately begin adjusting our sanctions regime".

Nevertheless, the paper also warned that if EU expectations of respect for human rights and minorities are not met, further sanctions may not be lifted and a snapback mechanism could be applied to sanctions already removed.

The U.S. last week issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance.

The six EU members said the bloc should lift sanctions to facilitate civilian flights, reevaluate sanctions on high-value goods, remove an export ban on oil and gas technology, and reopen financial channels between the EU and Syria.

They also said sanctions against members of the Assad administration and its supporters should remain in place.

Lifting sanctions on HTS would have to be discussed at the United Nations level and coordinated with close partners, the paper said, adding that “it will depend on our joint assessment of the listed entity HTS and its leader (Ahmed) Al-Shara’a and of the evolution on the ground in Syria”.

Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, met Syria’s new foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, on Sunday in Riyadh, where top Middle Eastern and Western diplomats gathered to discuss the situation in the country.

“Now is the time for Syria's new leadership to deliver on the hope they have created – through a peaceful & inclusive transition that protects all minorities,” she said.

“Next, we will discuss with EU Foreign Ministers how to ease sanctions,” she added.

(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski in Brussels. Writing by Lili Bayer, Editing by William Maclean)