US eases sanctions on Syria to allow earthquake aid

"Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Syria General License (GL) 23, which authorizes for 180 days all transactions related to earthquake relief that would be otherwise prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations (SySR)," Treasury said in a release on Thursday.

Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo was quoted in the release stressing that US sanctions in Syria "will not stand in the way of life-saving efforts for the Syrian people."

"While US sanctions programs already contain robust exemptions for humanitarian efforts, today Treasury is issuing a blanket General License to authorize earthquake relief efforts so that those providing assistance can focus on what’s needed most: saving lives and rebuilding," he added.

The Treasury said the US government has long had several sanctions waivers in place in Syria to permit most activities in support of humanitarian assistance. However, the Treasury added that this new authorization expands on the current sanctions waivers already in effect in Syria for NGOs, international organizations, and the US government.

The latest development comes after the US was widely criticized for not earlier lifting sanctions in the immediate wake of the devastating earthquakes that killed thousands across Syria and nearby Turkey, Sputnik reported.

MP/PR