The US Senate approves removing Syria from the list of rogue states
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved removing Syria from the US list of “rogue states,” after members of both the Republican and Democratic parties approved the decision.
“I am pleased to see the committee adopt my amendment to remove Syria from the National Institute for Near East Policy’s list of ‘rogue states,’ which includes Iran, Russia, and North Korea,” said Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, ranking member of the committee.
Shaheen added in a tweet on X, “Syria must continue to move away from its previous entanglements and move toward democracy, stability, and security”.
The rogue states list is a political designation that the United States has used as a tool in diplomatic and media discourse for nearly thirty years, referring to countries that are hostile to US interests, or are accused of supporting terrorism, seeking to possess weapons of mass destruction, or committing gross human rights violations.
The list includes several countries, most notably Russia, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela, and it has also previously included Iraq, Libya, and Sudan.
Under this designation, the US government is prohibited from cooperating or providing assistance to the listed countries in the field of civil nuclear energy.
The United States intends to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
US Special Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, announced that President Donald Trump intends to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism soon.
Barrack, in a statement during his visit to Damascus on May 29, emphasized that the US administration’s primary goal is to empower the current government in Damascus.
