Damascus, Syria

Source of the photo: Wikipedia.org

On September 29, 2021, a US State Department spokesperson said The United States has no plans to “normalise or upgrade” diplomatic relations with the Syrian government and also does not encourage others to do so.

US suspended its diplomatic presence in Syria in 2012 and later imposed sanctions on President ASSAD’s government.

These remarks were made in response to Reuters’ question on whether US encourages and supports Jordan and Syria’s reconciliation after the full reopening of their main border crossings with Syria on September 29, 2021.

“In view of the atrocities committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people, the United States will not normalize or escalate our diplomatic relations with the ASSAD regime, and we will not encourage others, this way”, a spokesperson for the US State Department said in an email on Wednesday.

“Assad has no legitimacy in our eyes. At this time, there is no doubt about the normalization of relations between the United States and his government.”

Since 2012, the United States has not established a diplomatic agency in Syria as the war escalated, and US-allied Arab states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE backed opposition groups fighting ASSAD.

In June 2021, the TRUMP administration imposed its most sweeping sanctions ever, targeting ASSAD and his inner circle to choke off revenue for his government in a bid to force it back to UN-led negotiations and broker an end to the country’s decade-long war.

Arab states cut ties with Syria during the civil war, which the UN says has killed more than 350.000 civilians, with military casualties of more than 250.000, according to researchers. Syria restored diplomatic ties with the UAE in 2018.

The Egyptian and Syrian foreign ministers met on Friday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Egyptian media said was the first meeting at that level for about a decade.

Officials in Jordan, a US ally, and Lebanon, have urged Washington to ease sanctions on Syria.

The State Department spokesperson said: “We believe that stability in Syria, and the greater region, can only be achieved through a political process that represents the will of all Syrians and we are committed to working with allies, partners, and the UN to ensure that a durable political solution remains within reach“.

Assad has regained most of Syria, but there are still areas beyond his control. Turkish troops are deployed in most of the northern and northwestern part of the last rebel stronghold, while US troops are stationed in the eastern and northeastern parts of Kurdish-controlled.

This article was edited using the data from the Aljazeera.com, Reuters.com, Uaetimes.ae, Middleeasteye.net, and Thenationalnews.com