BARCELONA (AP) 鈥� The European Union will lift sanctions on economy but keep those in place targeting the former Assad regime, the EU's top diplomat announced Tuesday.
Foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas spoke after chairing a meeting of foreign ministers from the 27-member bloc. She said the decision was designed to avert poverty and radicalism in the country after more than a decade of civil war sent millions fleeing, including to Europe.
The sanctions are 鈥渃onditional鈥� and could be resumed if the new government of Ahmad al-Sharaa doesn鈥檛 keep the peace, Kallas said.
鈥淪aving lives must be our top priority on Syria," she said.
The announcement came a week after U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with al-Sharaa and his announcement that . Lifting sanctions could bring to Syria, which needs tens of billions of dollars to .
An insurgency late last year unseated former Syrian President and ended the civil war that decimated much of the country鈥檚 infrastructure. The United Nations estimates that 90% of Syrians live in poverty and state-supplied electricity comes as little as two hours every day.
Earlier in the day, Kallas acknowledged concerns about but said 鈥渨e don't have a choice鈥� but to lift sanctions and bolster the Syrian economy: 鈥淲e actually either give them possibility to stabilize the country or we don鈥檛 do that and we have something like what we have in Afghanistan.鈥�
Kallas added: 鈥淭here can be no peace without the path to economic recovery, and we all need a stable Syria."
She did not provide details or timing on the lifting of sanctions. But a European Council statement said it would keep 鈥渟anctions based on security grounds, including arms and technology that might be used for internal repression. In addition, the EU will introduce additional targeted restrictive measures against human rights violators and those fueling instability in Syria.鈥�
Syrians had celebrated in streets across the country after Trump's announcement, and Arab leaders in neighboring nations that host millions of refugees who fled Syria鈥檚 war praised it.
Sam Mcneil, The Associated Press
