Published 18:33 IST, June 24th 2020
Syrian Foreign Minister says US seeking to starve people through its sanctions
Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem has condemned the latest sanctions imposed by the US saying that Washington is seeking to starve his people.
Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem has condemned the latest sanctions imposed by the United States saying that Washington is seeking to starve the people of his country and opening the door for terrorism to return. Walid al-Moallem also added that the sanctions are not impossible to overcome with help from friends and allies and said that the Syrian government will be able to cope with the Caesar Act as well. The Syrian government refers to the armed opposition as 'terrorist' that is fighting against the Bashar al-Assad's forces in the northwestern part of the country.
"Today we begin a sustained campaign of sanctions against the Assad regime under the Caesar Act, which authorizes severe economic sanctions to hold the Assad regime and its foreign enablers accountable for their brutal acts against the Syrian people. Many more sanctions will come until Assad and his regime stop their needless, brutal war and agree to a political solution as called for by UNSCR 2254," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter. The latest round of sanctions is being imposed under the Caesar Act, which was passed in both houses of the Congress in 2019 and came into force last week. The sanctions also include Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife.
Caesar Act
The Caesar Act is named after a former Syrian military-police member who defected from the state and released thousands of photographs of horrific torture being carried out by Assad's regime. "The sanctions are just the beginning of what will be a sustained campaign of economic and political pressure to deny the Assad regime the resources it uses to wage war against the Syrian people and to commit mass atrocities. This act is meant to send a clear signal that no external actors should do business with or otherwise enrich such a regime," James F. Jeffrey, Special Representative For Syria Engagement had said on June 17, according to Department of Treasury's official website.
Updated 18:33 IST, June 24th 2020