Damascus / SANA – European countries have been studying how to handle the new situation in Syria following downfall of Bashar al-Assad, with a timeline for lifting sanctions moving onto the agenda, according to a non-paper seen by “euronews.”site .
The EU is laying preliminary groundwork to a wide-ranging lifting of sanctions on Syria, including on transportation, exports of oil and gas, financial and banking activities.
The paper has been produced by the EU Council for negotiations and is expected to be substantively discussed and potentially agreed during a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on 27 January.
The site mentioned that EU countries want to lift restrictions on airlines, such as the Syrian Arab Airlines, to “facilitate civilian flight operations between the EU and Syria”. A removal of “export ban on oil and gas technology, as well as restrictions on export and participation in infrastructure projects and financing” are among openings proposed in the paper.
Lifted restrictions are also foreseen for “high-value commercial assets, such as vehicles” to enable Syrians to relocate their business in the country.In addition, reopening banking and investment relations is among the listed proposals. “financial channels between the EU and Syria need to be reopened, including the reestablishment of some banking relationship between Syrian banks and EU banks,” the document says.
With regards to the toppled Bashar al-Assad and its affiliates, they cannot benefit from the lifting and will still be subjected to sanctions, according to the document.
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