Syria welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks late on Monday indicating he was considering sanctions relief to the country as the new authorities seek to rebuilt it after more than a decade of civil war.
“We are going to have to make a decision on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve. We may take them off of Syria because we want to give them a fresh start,” Mr Trump told journalists at the White House. He was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to begin his Gulf tour and the first official visit abroad of his second presidency.
In Foreign Ministry statement, Syria said it welcomed Mr Trump's statement and “regards them an encouraging step towards alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people.”
“The Syrian people aspire to a full lifting of these sanctions, as part of broader measures that support peace and prosperity in both Syria and the region,” it added.
Damascus’s self-declared government has been seeking to mend ties with Washington, hoping for relief from debilitating sanctions.
The Trump administration has not formally recognised Syria’s government, led by Ahmad Al Shara, a former Islamist insurgent who commanded the offensive that led to Bashar Al Assad's removal. Apart from providing limited sanctions relief, Washington has maintained most restrictions, complicating Damascus’s efforts to reintegrate into the global economy.
The US has said it will wait to see how the new authorities exercise their power and ensure human rights before lifting sanctions, opting instead for targeted and temporary exemptions.
Western sanctions, which were issued mostly after the fallen regime's repression of anti-government protesters in 2011, have restricted Syria's ability to rebuild since the former president was toppled in December.
The new Syrian authorities have been pushing for US and European sanctions to be lifted, arguing that they were imposed on the Assad regime.
Last month, the UK ended restrictions on a dozen Syrian entities, including government bodies and media outlets, while the EU has started reducing its measures.
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Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
