Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani is set to meet with senior US State Department officials later on Tuesday in New York, two sources familiar with the matter said, and plead with Washington to provide a clear roadmap for permanent sanctions relief for Syria.
Shibani has been in the United States for meetings at the United Nations, where he raised the three-star flag of Syria’s uprising as the official Syrian flag 14 years after the war erupted.
The meeting is the first between US officials and Shibani that is taking place on US territory and comes after Syria responded earlier this month to a list of conditions set by Washington for possible partial sanctions relief.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The United States last month handed Syria a list of eight conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill, including destroying any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensuring foreigners are not given senior governing roles.
Reuters was first to report that Natasha Francheschi, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, handed the list of conditions to Shibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18.
What is bringing Syria to the table?
Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to kickstart an economy collapsed by 14 years of war, during which the United States, Britain and Europe imposed tough sanctions in a bid to put pressure on former president Bashar al-Assad.
In January, the US issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid, but this has had limited effect.
Damascus is keen to hear a realistic timeline from the United States for permanent sanctions relief, one of the sources said.
