The bill would prohibit Washington from recognizing or normalizing relations with any Syrian government led by Assad, who is under U.S. sanctions
Seen as a warning amid a wave of countries normalizing relations with Damascus, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday intended to bar Washington from recognizing Bashar al-Assad as Syria’s leader and to enhance its ability to impose sanctions on his government.
The bill would prohibit Washington from recognizing or normalizing relations with any Syrian government led by Assad, who is under U.S. sanctions. It also expands upon the Caesar Act, which imposed a tough round of sanctions on Syria in 2020.
Arab states have turned the page after years of confrontation with Assad by allowing Syria back into the Arab League on Sunday – a milestone in Assad’s regional rehabilitation even as the West continues to shun him over a brutal crackdown on an uprising that devolved into a protracted civil war over a decade ago.
Regional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, had for years supported anti-Assad rebels, but Syria’s army was backed by Iran and regained most of the country. After devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey in February, the icy ties with Assad began to thaw more quickly.
“Countries choosing to normalize with (the) unrepentant mass murderer and drug trafficker, Bashar al-Assad, are headed down the wrong path,” said U.S. Representative Joe Wilson, the chair of the Subcommittee on the Middle East, north Africa, and central Asia.
The legislation is a warning to Turkey and Arab countries that if they engage with Assad’s government, they could face severe consequences, a senior congressional staffer told Reuters.
“The readmission of Syria to the Arab League really infuriated (Congress) members and made clear the need to quickly act to send a signal,” the staffer said.
