Smooth end to Syria sanctions would help address immense needs, says UN envoy

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Concrete movement on an inclusive political transition in Syria will be key in ensuring the country gets the economic support it needs, United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Tuesday. 

"There is a clear international willingness to engage. The needs are immense and could only be addressed with broad support, including a smooth end to sanctions, appropriate action on designations too, and full reconstruction," he said.

Pedersen and U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher briefed the 15-member council from Damascus, where they met with the country's new leaders after President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). 

The United States, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 spiraled into civil war. But the new reality in Syria has been further complicated by sanctions on Islamist group HTS for its days as an al Qaeda affiliate.

Formerly known as Nusra Front, HTS was al Qaeda's official wing in Syria until breaking ties in 2016. Along with unilateral measures, the group has also been on the U.N. Security Council al Qaeda and Islamic State sanctions list for more than a decade, subjected to a global assets freeze and arms embargo.

Fletcher appealed to all states to ensure "sanctions and counter-terrorism measures do not impede humanitarian operations" in Syria.

"Syria was already one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, with 17 million people – more than 70 percent of the population – in need of support," he told the council. 

There is a humanitarian exemption for U.N. sanctions on HTS that allows "the provision, processing or payment of funds, other financial assets, or economic resources, or the provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance or to support other activities that support basic human needs."

Many diplomats acknowledge that the removal of sanctions could be used as leverage to ensure Syria's new authorities fulfill their commitments. Diplomats and U.N. officials are also keen to avoid a repeat of the difficulties faced in Afghanistan. 

After the hardline Islamist Taliban took over in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces withdrew after two decades of war, banks were wary of testing U.N. and U.S. sanctions, leaving the U.N. and aid groups struggling to deliver enough cash to run operations. The U.S. had to issue sanctions exemptions. 

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Bill Berkrot)