📰 Draft NDAA ties Syria’s Caesar Act repeal to strict conditions – Expert    

QAMISHLI, syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria (North Press) – The proposed repeal of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 remains conditional and far from guaranteed, despite latest claims suggesting otherwise, Isaac Andakian, an international crisis-management expert, informed North Press on Wednesday. Isaac Andakian stated discussions in the U. S. House of Representatives are still underway between Republicans and Democrats over the consensus version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill has not yet become law and still requires a House vote, expected later on Wednesday.

Additionally, he added that Article 8369 of the current draft includes a four-page provision—spanning pages 2899 to 2902—proposing the repeal of the Caesar Act. However, the proposal is tied to a detailed verification mechanism and strict benchmarks that the syrian transitional administration must meet before sanctions can be lifted. Under paragraph (b) of the article, the U. S. leader must submit an unclassified report, with a classified annex if necessary, within 90 days of the bill’s enactment and every 180 days thereafter for four years. The report must certify whether the Syrian transitional administration is taking “concrete and tangible actions” to eliminate the threat of the Islamic State (ISIS) and other extremist groups, and whether it is removing foreign fighters from senior positions within the Syrian army.

The draft also requires damascus to respect the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, guarantee freedom of worship, ensure fair political representation, and refrain from any unilateral or unjustified armed forces action against neighboring states, including Israel. Additional conditions include making progress toward international security agreements and taking “tangible and credible steps” to march-10-agreement/" class="smart-internal-link" title="📰 AKP calls on SDF to swiftly implement March 10 Agreement">implement the March 10 Agreement between the Syrian transitional government and the Syrian Democratic troops (sdf), including “commensurate security force integration measures and political representation. ”  Another clause mandates “actively prosecuting” individuals responsible for internationally recognized gross human rights violations since December 8, including those implicated in atrocities against religious minorities. Furthermore, “These are significant obligations placed on Damascus,” Andakian added, noting that U. S. verification will occur every 180 days. The draft grants the leader authority to impose targeted sanctions if Syria fails to meet the required benchmarks for two consecutive reporting periods (360 days).

These sanctions would not include import restrictions, as per paragraph (d). Furthermore, andakian stressed that the repeal is conditioned on eight specific commitments listed in Article 8369(b), and that the U. S. president retains the right to reimpose targeted sanctions if Syria violates them. “This does not…