US moves to delist Syria as a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’

President Trump announces a move to delist Syria, citing efforts by Ahmed al-Sharaa to unify the country.The United States says it will remove Syria’s designation as a “state sponsor of terrorism”, a decades-old label that severely impeded investment, in a new vote of confidence in President Ahmed al-Sharaa.“This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement published on Wednesday. The long-expected move will be effective in 45 days unless lawmakers take the unlikely step of blocking it.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3The Responsibility to Protect doctrine can be resurrectedlist 2 of 3Mbappe slams racism by Paraguay’s Amarilla at World Cup: What we knowlist 3 of 3Netanyahu’s Christian comments ‘aimed at sowing strife’: Lebanese analystsend of listThe step came as President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkiye with al-Sharaa, a former rebel who has sought to recast himself as a unifying figure after the 2024 toppling of the al-Assad family, which led an oppressive regime for a half-century.“Lifting sanctions on Syria will unlock international trade and investment, give Syria a chance to rebuild, and open up a new chapter for the Syrian people,” Rubio said. “A stable, unified Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors benefits not only the region, but the entire world”.Trump’s embrace of al-Sharaa comes despite misgivings from Israel, which has repeatedly launched air strikes in Syria, one of its historical adversaries.The US president had earlier publicly pressed for Syria to make peace with Israel, but went ahead with the delisting decision despite a lack of tangible progress.Syria is seeking economic support to rebuild after years of brutal war that helped give rise to the ISIL (ISIS) armed group and generated a major refugee crisis.