🗳️ UN Security Council Lifts Sanctions on Sharaa and Khattab… Why Didn’t China Vote?

The UN security Council on Thursday evening adopted a resolution — drafted by the United States — removing the names of syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab from the United Nations sanctions lists. The resolution was approved by 14 out of the Council’s 15 members, with China abstaining from the vote and not using its veto power. The text of the resolution, adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, reaffirms the Council’s strong commitment to respecting syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity, as well as its persisted backing for the Syrian people.

It also expresses the Council’s determination to promote reconstruction, stability, and long-term economic development in Syria. In fact, the resolution welcomes the Syrian administration’s commitments to facilitate relief access and combat terrorism, while noting that Damascus must take “firm measures” to confront foreign fighters, protect human rights, combat narcotics, advance transitional justice, eliminate any remnants of chemical weapons, and pursue a comprehensive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process. Washington: “Syria has entered a emerging era” The United States submitted the draft resolution just days before leader Sharaa’s upcoming visit to the White House to meet with U.

S. President Donald Trump, marking the first visit by a Syrian president to the White House in more than eight decades. For months, Washington has pushed for easing sanctions on Syria and its leadership, viewing this step as “a prelude to broader political and relief cooperation with the emerging administration. ” Speaking before the Security Council after the vote, U.

S. Furthermore, ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz stated that adopting this resolution “sends a strong political signal that Syria has entered a new era since the fall of Assad and his associates in December 2024. ” He added that the new Syrian government, led by Sharaa, “is working diligently to fulfill its commitments to counter terrorism and narcotics, eliminate any remaining chemical weapons, and strengthen regional security. ” Waltz noted that “removing the names of Sharaa and his interior minister gives the Syrian people a genuine opportunity for renewal. ” Damascus welcomes the decision: “A legal and political confirmation” Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ibrahim Olabi, welcomed the Security Council’s decision, describing it as “evidence of growing confidence in the new Syria. ” In his address to the Council, Olabi stated that “the new Syria seeks to be a state of peace and partnership, not a battleground for conflicts and score-settling. Additionally, ” He added:…