UN Security Council votes to lift sanctions on Syrian president

New York: The United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a US resolution on Thursday to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa, ahe...

New York: The United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a US resolution on Thursday to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, ahead of his White House visit next week.

"(The Council) decides that Ahmed al-Sharaa...and (Interior Minister) Anas Hasan Khattab are delisted from the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List," said the resolution, approved by 14 council members. China abstained.

The formal lifting of sanctions on Sharaa is largely symbolic as they were waived every time he needed to travel outside of Syria in his role as the country's leader. An assets freeze and arms embargo will also be lifted.

US President Donald Trump will host the Syrian leader for talks on November 10, having said the former jihadist had made "good progress" toward establishing peace in his war-torn country.

Though it will be Sharaa's first visit to Washington, it will be his second to the United States after a landmark UN trip in September, where the ex-jihadist became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN General Assembly in New York.