ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced on Tuesday that Washington is not planning to normalize diplomatic relations with Damascus “at this time."
Speaking to reporters, Bruce said, “We continue to asses our Syria policy cautiously and will judge the [Syrian] interim authorities by their actions.”
“We are not normalizing diplomatic relations with Syria at this time,” Bruce clarified.
The remarks come as Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani is expected to meet with US officials on US soil for the first time. Shaibani had arrived in New York several days ago to attend a ceremony at which the new Syrian flag was raised at the United Nations headquarters on Friday.
According to Reuters, Shaibani is expected to press Washington for a clear roadmap toward permanent sanctions relief for Syria.
The US in March handed Syria a list of eight conditions that Damascus must meet in order to move toward potential sanctions relief. These include the destruction of any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and assurances that foreigners will not be given senior positions in the Syrian government.
In January, the US had issued a six-month sanctions exemption aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid, though officials say its impact has been limited.
Syria recently submitted a written response to the U.S. conditions, claiming it had fulfilled most of them, while noting that others would require "mutual understandings" with Washington.
Asked about the Syrian FM’s meetings with US officials, the US State Department spokesperson, Bruce, noted on Tuesday that "some representatives of the Syrian interim authorities" were in New York for UN meetings, but did not confirm whether meetings with US officials were scheduled.
