Syria’s permanent mission to the United Nations said Newsweek that the country is willing to become involved with the Joe Biden administration if he reverses the policies of his predecessors.
Such a reversal would include stopping intervention in Syria’s internal affairs, withdrawing US troops deployed without Damascus permission and stopping the exploitation of oil and gas resources, the mission said.
It would also include an end to assistance to Syrian Democratic Forces, a largely Kurdish force seeking greater autonomy in the northeast of the country, as well as helping other non-state actors involved in the civil war, according to the mission.
“The reason for the existing disputes with the United States of America are the policies of previous American administrations that include: interference in Syrian internal affairs, occupation of territories in the Syrian Arab Republic, theft of its natural resources and support for separatist militias and armed entities terrorists in Syria, “Syria’s permanent mission told the UN Newsweek.
If these conditions are met, Damascus would consider restoring ties with Washington, which cut ties in 2012, when the unrest of the Arab Spring era in Syria turned into a total conflict between security forces, insurgents and jihadist factions.
“In the event that the United States government is ready to abandon these policies,” said the mission, “Syria is not opposed to meaningful and intentional communications away from the conditions that the previous government was trying to impose on Syria with regard to the situation in Syria and the region. “
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The Biden government has yet to send any signal similar to that of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom the United States and its partners accused of war crimes, including the use of chemical weapons, during the nearly decade-long war.
Biden served as vice president when former president Barack Obama first launched a secret campaign to support rebels struggling to overthrow Assad in the early stages of the war. As Islamists gained ground across the country, however, US attention shifted to defeating the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), and the Pentagon formed an international coalition with local support from Syrian Democratic Forces.
The Syrian military also faced ISIS in a separate campaign supported by Russia, Iran and allied militias now seen as one of the main threats by Israel, the closest US ally in the region.
Syrian air defenses were activated in response to an Israeli attack in the south of the country, targeting what a source in Syria said Newsweek there were locations near Damascus International Airport and Al-Kisweh south of the capital, as well as the city of Al-Quneitra in the southwest and a radio station near Daraa.
The attacks marked the latest attacks in a period of intensified Israeli military action against the war-torn nation.
Even with ISIS ‘physical caliphate almost defeated, violence continues on the field among Syrian troops, Syrian Democratic Forces fighters and various rebel groups and jihadist elements. Meanwhile, some 600-900 American soldiers remain stationed near oil and gas sites in regions under the Syrian Democratic Forces, which have recently been involved in clashes with Syrian forces while efforts to reconcile the two factions have failed.
At his first press conference on Tuesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price spoke about the Biden government’s current thinking about Syria before the 10th anniversary of the war.
“We are going to renew the US efforts to promote a political agreement to end the civil war in Syria in close consultation with our allies, our partners and the UN,” Price told reporters. “A political agreement must address the underlying causes that led to almost a decade of civil war. We will use the tools at our disposal, including economic pressure, to push for significant reforms and accountability, and we will continue to support the UN’s role in negotiating an agreement. political according to UNSCR 2254. “
UN Security Council Resolution 2254, adopted in 2015, paved the way for the formation of the Syrian Constitutional Committee. The Committee, composed of government delegates, opposition and members of civil society selected by the UN, held its fifth session last week in Geneva.
The meeting was attended by UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen, who said Friday in comments sent to Newsweek for his office that had not yet made contact with the Biden government. Russia, Iran and Turkey, the main sponsor of the opposition, also held their own joint session, reaffirming their status as the main guarantors of the effort to end the civil war in Syria, as they prepare for the next meeting in Sochi later this month.
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While arbitration continues abroad, Syria’s internal suffering has deepened significantly, not only as a result of the conflict, but also due to an economic crisis exacerbated by blockades induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Price said resuming humanitarian assistance suspended by the previous government was also a priority.
“We are also going to restore America’s leadership in providing humanitarian aid,” said Price. “Syria is a humanitarian catastrophe and we must do more to help vulnerable Syrians displaced within Syria, as well as refugees who have fled abroad.”
Russia and Iran, however, joined Syria in accusing the United States of contributing to the country’s humanitarian crisis by implementing tough sanctions, which were stepped up last summer in an effort to further pressure the government.
During a news conference with his Jordanian counterpart on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized what he called “the West’s general strategy for regime change in the Syrian Arab Republic, which is contrary to decisions of the UN Security Council “. He praised the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee and emphasized the need for a Syrian-led dialogue, with support – but not interference – from outside nations.
Lavrov provided a list of conditions on the ground necessary to end the conflict, including “the need to eradicate the small terrorist centers remaining in the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, provide conditions for the return of refugees and begin international assistance for the reconstruction of this conflict. parents. “