The Biden administration has no plans to support efforts to normalize or rehabilitate relationships with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. will also not lift sanctions on the Assad regime.
A top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East told U.S. lawmakers that Assad and his allies “remain the single largest impediment” to a political solution in Syria.
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said the ultimate responsibility for the ongoing tragedies in Syria rests with Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran. She said Assad brought Syria to the state it is in, and he remains intransigent, refusing to provide Syrians hope for a better future.
Leaf made a testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, stating that while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven attention away from other ongoing wars, Leaf plans to make Syria “a priority” within the State Department.
Leaf and two senior senators blasted countries that have welcomed Assad.
Assad made his first trip to an Arab country since the Syrian revolution began in 2011, visiting the UAE in March. Leaf said she was “shocked” to see Assad welcomed by the UAE. Sen. Jim Risch (R) said the visit was “sickening.”
Some reports suggest that some of the Arab states believe welcoming the Syrian president back into the Arab League would drive a wedge between Syria and Iran. But Iran has been a major part of Assad’s military forces in Syria for the 11 years that the war has been ongoing.
An estimated 400,000 Syrians have been killed since the war began, and millions more have been displaced, both inside of Syria and outside.
The Assad regime is notorious for its use of mass detention centers and disappearances. There has been a lot of testimony to the U.S. Government from survivors and witnesses about the regime’s use of torture, execution, and war crimes.
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