The US and UAE held quiet talks about lifting Syrian sanctions if Bashar al-Assad cuts his Iran connections – a discussion that gained speed as the Dec-20 sanctions deadline gets closer
Recent rebel advances in northern Syria (which happened just after talks) showed cracks in Assadʼs power base; this timing created a perfect-storm situation for US-UAE diplomatic efforts. The rebels push came right when Assadʼs forces faced less support from Hezbollah fighters who moved south to deal with Israel-related issues
The UAE took big steps to bring Syria back into the Arab world: they were first to welcome Assad in 22ʼ and now they want more. Their plan includes money for fixing Syriaʼs broken stuff but US rules (called the Caesar Act) dont let them do much. The law affects everything from building roads to doing business with Russians in Syria; its been hard on regular people there
- UAE talked to White House about letting sanctions end
- Saudi Arabia joined in with its own money offers
- Iran sent warning messages to Assad about staying loyal
- Israel keeps hitting weapon routes in Syria
Iranʼs top guy visited Damascus to show support but Assad stayed quiet during recent Mid-East problems – even when Israel hit some spots in his country. The UAE president called Assad this weekend to talk things over: seems like everybody wants something from Syria these days
Do not forget the past
Netanyahu made it clear heʼs watching Syria closely saying theyʼre “playing with fire“ if they help move weapons around. Meanwhile UAE and US officials think this might be their chance to pull Syria away from Iran – using both rewards and pressure to make it work