US has given Syria a list of demands for sanction relief, sources say

WASHINGTON/BEIRUT — The United States has handed Syria a list of conditions that it wants Damascus to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief, six people familiar with the matter tell Reuters, including ensuring foreigners are not in senior governing roles.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Levant and Syria Natasha Franceschi gave the list of demands to Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18, according to two of the people — a US official and a Syrian source familiar with the matter.

Reuters is first to report both the list and the in-person meeting, the first high-level direct contact between Damascus and Washington since US President Donald Trump took office on January 20, has been previously reported.

Reuters spoke to six sources for this story, including two US officials, a Syrian source, a regional diplomat, and two sources in Washington familiar with the matter. They all requested anonymity to discuss the high-level diplomacy.

Among the conditions placed by the United States are Syria’s destruction of any remaining chemical weapons stores and cooperation on counter-terrorism, the two US officials, the Syrian source, and both sources in Washington say.

Another demand was making sure foreign fighters are not installed in senior roles in Syria’s governing structure, the US officials and one of the sources in Washington say.

Syria has already appointed some foreign ex-rebels, including Uyghurs, a Jordanian, and a Turk, to its defense ministry — a move that alarmed foreign governments.

Washington also asked Syria to appoint a liaison to assist US efforts to find Austin Tice, the US journalist who went missing in Syria over a decade ago, according to two US officials and both sources in Washington.

In return for fulfilling all the demands, Washington would provide some sanctions relief, all six sources say. One specific action would be a two-year extension of an existing exemption for transactions with Syrian governing institutions and possibly the issuance of another exemption.

The US would also issue a statement supporting Syria’s territorial integrity, the source says.

Washington did not provide a specific timeline for the conditions to be fulfilled.

Syria’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comments. A spokesperson for the State Department says the agency does not “discuss our private diplomatic conversations publicly.” Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce last week said Washington was monitoring the actions of the interim rulers.