The Wall Street Journal: Washington informed Damascus of its conditions for normalization and recognition the new authority
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the United States has informed the Syrian government of its conditions for normalizing relations, including taking action against extremists and expelling Palestinian groups from the country.
According to the newspaper, officials familiar with the matter said that the administration of US President Donald Trump has prepared a policy directive that includes its demands of the new government in Syria.
Officials explained that the directive included requests to work with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to secure the remaining chemical weapons of the ousted regime, as well as secure uranium reserves, and appoint a liaison officer to locate 14 US citizens missing in Syria.
Officials also stated that in addition to these demands, the Trump administration asked the Damascus government to crack down on extremists, ban activities such as fundraising by Palestinian groups in the country, and expel these groups.
They reported that the list also included a request from Damascus to issue a public statement against extremists in the country.
Officials claimed that if the Syrian government took steps consistent with US demands, the Trump administration would publicly recognize Syria’s territorial integrity, restore diplomatic relations, and remove some members of the new Syrian administration from the terrorism list.
Officials noted that the directive didn’t include any statements regarding the Russian military presence in Syria or relations between the two countries.
They noted that the Trump administration has abandoned its pressure on the Syrian government to remove Russian military bases from the country for the time being.
For his part, a US State Department official told the Wall Street Journal regarding the new demands, “The United States doesn’t currently recognize any entity in Syria as a legitimate government… The Syrian interim authorities must reject and fully suppress terrorism”.
