“We can hopefully see a quick end to the sanctions so that we can see really a rallying around building up Syria again,” Pedersen told journalists in Damascus.
The sanctions are not UN sanctions, Pedersen explained, adding that they were imposed by the United States and the European Union.
Both UN and EU imposed strict sanctions on the Syrian regime for the violent crackdown on what began peaceful anti-government protests in 2011, which evolved into a full-blown civil war.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a lightning-quick offensive against the Syrian army, seizing the northern cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs before capturing the capital Damascus as former president Bashar al-Assad fled the country, ending over five decades of Baathist rule in less than two weeks and bringing the country’s 13-year long civil war to an end.
The collapse of the regime marked a new start in Syria’s history. The HTS-led groups established a transitional government led by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir who has promised a future Syrian state that guarantees the rights of all its citizens.
Pedersen said that putting the political process in Syria on track was necessary for the country, stressing on the need for Syria to be led by Syrians themselves.
“We need to get the political process on the way that is inclusive for all Syrians. That process obviously needs to be led by the Syrians themselves. So, it's a Syrian responsibility with the help of assistance to fulfill it,” he said.
Pedersen noted that the next challenge of the government is to revitalize the state institutions to provide services for the citizens and uphold law and order. He also stressed the need for increased humanitarian assistance for the country and to ensure the safe return of the Syrian refugees to their homes.
“We all know that Syria has been through an enormous also humanitarian crisis. So, we need to make sure that Syria receives increased immediate humanitarian assistance to the people in Syria and to all the refugees who want to return. This is extremely critical,” Pedersen said.
