A group of members of the US Congress is preparing a new bill aimed at strengthening the US government’s ability to impose sanctions, as a warning to other countries against normalizing relations with Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
The draft Act seeks to achieve several purposes, most notably banning any US government measure that would recognize any Syrian government headed by Bashar al Assad or normalize relations with his government.
It also aims to send political and legal messages to countries that have normalized their relations with Assad, or that seek normalization with him.
The new Act seeks to amend the Caesar Act so that its penalties extend to any foreign entity that provides financial, material or technical support to the Syrian government.
This is in addition to punishing those who assist the Syrian government in any gas or electricity deal or any other energy source that has not been authorized by the US Treasury Department to allow it.
The draft Act comes in light of the acceleration of Arab normalization with Syria under the leadership of President Bashar al Assad, which, after several meetings, resulted in its return to the Arab League.
Last Wednesday, the Syrian president received an official invitation from Saudi Arabia to participate in the Arab Summit to be held in Jeddah next week, in the first invitation of its kind since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria.
The United States opposes the moves of the countries of the region to normalize relations with Assad and its return to the Arab League.
