📰 U.S. to repeal Caesar Act, SAC calls move “unconditional”

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The U. S. Congress is set to repeal the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 before the end of 2025, a move welcomed on Monday by the Syrian American Council (SAC) as “unconditional,” while Syrian authorities and opposition groups weigh its implications.

Mohammed Ala Ghanem, SAC policy chief, declared the repeal via Facebook in Arabic: “Today we announce the completion of work on the provisions to repeal the Caesar Act and the confirmation of the repeal clause in its final form within the Department of Defense budget agreed upon by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. ” He added that no further amendments can be made to the article. Ghanem explained that the repeal removes the mechanism that previously required the automatic re-imposition of Caesar sanctions if the Syrian administration failed to meet a lengthy list of mandatory conditions within eight months. Additionally, “The former list of mandatory conditions has now been transformed into a set of recommendations that Congress hopes the Syrian administration will address—without any binding force or automatic consequences for failure to comply,” he added.

Under the emerging language, if the Syrian government fails to make progress on these issues for a full year, Congress may grant the U. S. leader the option to consider targeted sanctions—not to re-impose the Caesar Act itself, but merely to consider reintroducing measures. The repeal marks a significant shift in U.

S. policy toward Syria, moving from strict punitive measures toward a more conditional and flexible approach, focusing on progress in counterterrorism, human rights, minority protections, SDF agreements, and institutional reforms. Reporting by Malin Mohammed Editing by Jwan Shekaki