Brussels (dpa-AFX)-Around six months after the fall of long-term rulers Bashar al-Assad, the EU has completely lifted its economic sanctions against Syria. As the representation of the Member States in Brussels, the step should enable a quick reconstruction of the civil war country. In particular, it also includes the decision to give the Syrian central bank and other banks access to the European financial market again.
The lifting of the sanctions had been politically agreed politically by the external ministers of the EU countries at the beginning of last week. The German Foreign Minister Johann WadePhul said that the new Syrian leadership was given a chance, but expect a policy that includes all population groups and religious groups. It is important that there is a united Syria that can take its future in your own hands.
The EU also has the hope that, after stabilizing the country, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees will one day return to their homeland in the EU. Syrians had identified a large part of the refugees arriving in the EU for many years.
Sanctions against people and organizations who have connections to the Assad regime or responsibility for the violent suppression of the Syrian people are not affected by the decision. In addition, export restrictions for weapons as well as goods and technologies that are used for internal repression also remain in force.
Expenses to violence overshade hopes
The EU recently explained that the sanctions are abolished, regardless of the recent outbreaks between different population groups in Syria. There is further doubts as to whether the government is moving in the right direction, said EU chief diplomatin Kaja Kallas last week. In their view, there is no choice. The country must be enabled to stabilize to avoid development as in Afghanistan.
Most recently, there had been violent struggles in Syria between members of the Drusian minority and Sunni militias. Already in March there were bloody denominational battles between government troops of the new rulers and Assad-loyal militias in the western coastal region of Syria./aha/dp/jha