The United States’ new envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, on Thursday urged Syria and Israel to pursue a non-aggression settlement, calling their decades-long battle a “solvable problem” and signaling a possible shift in regional diplomacy.
In remarks to Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya, Barrack mentioned the 2 sides may start with confidence-building measures. “They can start with just a non-aggression agreement, talk about boundaries and borders,” he mentioned, emphasizing the necessity to rebuild ties.
Syria and Israel have technically been at warfare since 1948. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and has since launched quite a few airstrikes concentrating on what it claims are weapons transfers to extremist parts inside Syria.
Barrack’s feedback adopted the inauguration of the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Damascus, marking the primary such transfer in additional than a decade and symbolizing a renewed American diplomatic presence in Syria. The U.S. embassy had been closed since 2011 amid the civil unrest that advanced into a protracted battle.
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa — as soon as an anti-regime commander — mentioned earlier this month that his authorities was engaged in oblique talks with Israel geared toward de-escalating tensions. “We are trying to contain the situation so it does not reach the point where it escapes the control of both sides,” he mentioned in France on May 8.
Al-Sharaa, who led the offensive that ousted dictator Bashar Assad in December, has pledged to control inclusively and reopen Syria to the worldwide neighborhood. His administration has already restored diplomatic ties with a number of regional and world powers.
The United States has taken a number of steps to normalize relations with Damascus. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump introduced the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria throughout a Gulf tour, expressing optimism that Damascus would ultimately normalize ties with Israel. “I told him, I hope you’re going to join once you’re straightened out, and he said yes,” Trump mentioned of his talks with Sharaa, whom he described as “a young, attractive guy” and “a fighter.”
As a part of its post-war reconstruction efforts, Syria signed a $7 billion vitality settlement on Thursday with a consortium of Qatari, Turkish, and American corporations. The deal is anticipated to generate as much as 5,000 megawatts of electrical energy, assembly almost half of the nation’s present vitality wants.
“Only a week after President Trump’s announcement to lift sanctions, we have already unlocked billions of dollars of international investment for Syria,” Barrack mentioned in a put up on the social media platform X.
The signing ceremony was attended by each Barrack and President al-Sharaa, underscoring rising U.S.-Syria cooperation after years of diplomatic freeze. Syrian officers mentioned the deal displays the brand new authorities’s openness to regional and worldwide partnerships.
AFP photographers captured photos of the U.S. flag being raised on the newly reopened ambassador’s residence in Damascus’ Abu Rummaneh district, situated close to the U.S. embassy, which stays closed for now.
“Tom understands there is great potential in working with Syria to stop radicalism, improve relations, and secure peace in the Middle East,” the U.S. State Department mentioned in a put up quoting President Trump.
Barrack beforehand met with al-Sharaa in Istanbul on May 24, persevering with the diplomatic outreach that started with preliminary talks led by State Department official Barbara Leaf in December. The final U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, was declared persona non grata in 2011 after visiting a protest web site through the early levels of the Syrian rebellion.
Source: www.dailysabah.com