On Thursday, a group of lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties submitted a draft bill calling on the US administration not to recognize Bashar al-Assad as President of Syria and to strengthen Washington’s ability to impose sanctions, in a warning to countries that normalize their relations with the Syrian regime.
According to Reuters, the proposed legislation could prevent the US federal government from recognizing or normalizing relations with any government in Syria led by Bashar al-Assad, who is under US sanctions.
It also aims to expand the scope of the Caesar Act, under which Washington has imposed harsh sanctions on Syria since 2020.
The draft law comes after a number of Arab countries turned the page on the years of confrontation with al-Assad, and allowed Syria to return to the Arab League on Sunday, in a step that re-engages it regionally, despite its ostracism from Western countries.
Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have supported opponents of the Assad regime for years, but the Syrian army, backed by Iran and Russia, has regained control of most areas in the country.
Relations between Turkey and the Assad regime have also developed to the extent that a meeting was held between the two foreign ministers in Moscow, after years of hostility and in light of the Syrian regime’s description of the presence of Turkish forces in northern Syria as an “occupation”.
Congressman Joe Wilson introduced the bill along with other prominent lawmakers such as Michael McCall and Brandon Boyle.
A prominent congressman who worked on drafting the bill told Reuters that the legislation is a warning to Turkey and Arab countries that they could face consequences if they engage with the Assad government.
The project calls for the US State Department to come up with a five-year strategy on how to counter normalization processes with the Assad regime.
Reuters also indicated that the bill calls for imposing sanctions on countries that allow the Syrian state airline to use their airports.
On Wednesday, Bashar al-Assad received an official invitation from Saudi Arabia to participate in the Arab Summit to be held in Jeddah next week, in the first invitation of its kind since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria.
The United States has opposed moves by countries in the region to normalize relations with Assad, citing his government’s brutality during the conflict and the need for progress toward a political solution.
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2023-05-11 16:52:18
