WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked the “foreign terrorist organization” designation for Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, according to a State Department memo filed on Monday.
The June 23-dated memo was signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was published in a preview of the Federal Register before official publication on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Washington’s move will formally take effect on Tuesday. The move comes a week after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions programme on Syria, to help end the country’s isolation from the international financial system and build on Washington’s pledge to help it rebuild after a devastating civil war.
“In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (and other aliases) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” Rubio wrote in the memo.
In December, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which, together with other groups, conducted a lightning offensive that ousted Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad.
Sharaa’s HTS says it wants to build an inclusive and democratic Syria. Syria’s foreign ministry had no immediate comment.
Sanctions on Syria
Sharaa and Trump met in Riyadh in May, where, in a major policy shift, Trump unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.
The United States had already removed a bounty on Sharaa’s head after he came to power.
HTS was earlier known as Al-Nusra Front, and was formerly the branch of Al-Qaeda in Syria, but it broke ties with the group in 2016 and sought to soften its image.
As of 2017, HTS claimed control of swaths of the province of Idlib, in Syria’s northwest, and went on to develop a civil administration in the area.
In January, after overthrowing Assad’s government, the new authorities announced the dissolution of all armed factions, with some groups, including HTS, being integrated into bodies such as the country’s new police force.
International reengagement
The United States and European countries have moved steadily to reengage with Syria since Sharaa took over as interim president, with Britain reestablishing diplomatic ties on Saturday after more than a decade.
Britain has also lifted sanctions on Syria’s interior and defence ministries, as well as on various media groups, intelligence agencies and some sectors of the economy.
The growing international backing comes as Syria’s new leaders attempt to rebuild the country and reboot its economy, both ravaged by the conflict and crippling sanctions.
