No normalization for Syria without ‘permanent political change’: Washington
The comments from a senior US official come as the Arab world continues to rebuild ties with Damascus after the failure of the western-backed war
By
News Desk
– April 27 2023
https://media.thecradle.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ARZPSSR6VNIBZHKCX7XWLVASYE.jpg
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shakes hands with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Damascus, Syria on 18 April, 2023. (Photo Credit: SANA/Handout via REUTERS)

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf on 26 April said that Washington will not support any normalization efforts with Syria “in the absence of permanent political change.”

The senior US official made the comments during a meeting with a delegation of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC), stressing that US policy on Syria “has not changed” despite a growing movement in the Arab world to rekindle ties with Damascus.

“No normalization with the Assad regime in the absence of enduring political change and strong support for UNSCR 2254 including the role of the Syrian opposition,” the Bureau of Near East Asian Affairs in the Department of State said in a statement.

For their part, the members of the SNC underlined that “any political solution in Syria must be in accordance with Security Council resolutions … and that the absence of a political solution and the achievement of the transitional phase will increase the tragedy of the Syrian people.”

Over recent months, Leaf has made headlines for highly interventionist comments regarding the crisis in Lebanon, warning officials that the country has no alternative to address its catastrophic economic collapse other than an IMF loan and that Lebanese citizens will likely have to endure more pain before being “rebuilt from the ashes, freed from the curse of Hezbollah.”

Leaf’s meeting with the Syrian opposition group came one day after the defense ministers of Syria, Turkiye, Iran, and Russia met in Moscow as part of ongoing talks to end the Turkish occupation of northern Syria.

Several nations across the Arab world have recently moved to rebuild ties with Damascus after the glaring failure of the western-backed war that has been raging for over a decade. Chief among these is Saudi Arabia, which last month shocked the world by agreeing to restart diplomatic ties with long-time rival Iran under the auspices of China.

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