Syria has submitted a formal response to a list of US Syria conditions for potential sanctions relief, stating it has fulfilled most demands, but that others require “mutual understandings” with Washington, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Reuters.
Perhaps most importantly, the letter vows that Syria would not become a threat to "Israel".
The United States previously presented Syria with eight conditions, including the destruction of remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensuring that foreigners are not given senior government roles.
Although Washington issued a six-month exemption in January to ease sanctions for humanitarian aid, its impact has been limited. In return for meeting all the demands, the US offered to extend the suspension for two years and possibly grant further exemptions.
Reuters first reported that US official Natasha Franceschi delivered the conditions to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani during a March 18 meeting in Brussels. In his first address to the United Nations Security Council, Shibani emphasized that Syria was acting on several of the requests, notably regarding Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles and the search for missing Americans.
The four-page Syrian letter to the US pledged to establish a liaison office within the Foreign Ministry to assist in locating missing American journalist Austin Tice and detailed steps to cooperate with global arms watchdogs on chemical disarmament.
MNA
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