Trump dismantles Syria sanctions program; supports path to peace, stability

Washington: President Donald Trump on Monday formally dismantled US sanctions against Syria, hoping to reintegrate the war battered country into the g...

Washington: President Donald Trump on Monday formally dismantled US sanctions against Syria, hoping to reintegrate the war-battered country into the global economy.

Trump lifted most sanctions against Syria in May, responding to appeals from Saudi Arabia and Turkey after former Islamist guerrilla Ahmed al-Sharaa ended a half-century of rule by the Assad family.

In an executive order, Trump terminated the "national emergency" in place since 2004 that imposed far-reaching sanctions on Syria, affecting most state-run institutions including the central bank.

"This is in an effort to promote and support the country's path to stability and peace," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Brad Smith, the Treasury Department official in charge of sanctions, said the move "will end the country's isolation from the international financial system, setting the stage for global commerce and galvanizing investments from its neighbors in the region as well as from the United States."