There is “no daylight” between top Trump administration officials on the president’s decision to lift economic sanctions on Syria, a top State Department official told The Washington Times after reports of dissension at the highest levels of U.S. foreign policy decision-making.
Michael Anton, director of the policy planning staff at the State Department, said in an interview late Wednesday evening that the key figures working on U.S.-Syria policy are aligned on the president’s policies. He specifically denied claims that he sought to slow-walk the president’s Syria policy and argued against Mr. Trump’s decision during a meeting between top officials on Tuesday.
“This is a complete 180 of the truth,” Mr. Anton told The Times. “All of the people actually involved on the [Syria] file are totally aligned. If there is someone else who isn’t, I don’t know who they are. And I don’t think they have any influence.”
Mr. Anton was named in a social media post Wednesday by Josh Rogin, the lead global security analyst at The Washington Post. Mr. Rogin wrote that: “Several sources tell me Michael Anton is working hard to slow down and thereby undermine President Trump’s announcement that the United States will lift all sanctions on Syria.”
A few hours later, Mr. Rogin said in another post that two senior State Department officials “categorically denied” those assertions. And Mr. Rogin said he regretted not seeking a response from the State Department before his initial post.
But the allegations touched off a new round of speculation about whether there are figures inside the federal government, perhaps at high levels, working to undermine the president’s policies — in this case, the decision to lift sanctions on the Syrian government, now led by new President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a figure with past ties to the terrorist group al Qaeda.
During his Mideast trip last week, Mr. Trump announced that the U.S. would begin lifting economic sanctions on Damascus, some of which have been in place for decades. He made the announcement during a meeting in Saudi Arabia with Mr. al-Sharaa, who led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance that overthrew longtime Syrian dictator and Iranian ally Bashar Assad in a surprise offensive last December.
After his meeting with Mr. al-Sharra, Mr. Trump told reporters that he believes the new Syrian leader can unite and transform a country that’s been ravaged by more than a decade of civil war and Islamic extremism.
“Young attractive guy, tough guy. Strong past, very strong past. Fighter. He’s got a real shot at pulling it together,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. al-Sharaa.
As part of mending U.S.-Syria relations, Mr. Trump also pressed the new Syrian leader to join the 2020 Abraham Accords and normalize diplomatic relations with Israel; to expel foreign terrorists; prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State terror network; take charge of extremist detention centers; and take other steps, according to a White House readout of the meeting between the two leaders.
The lifting of sanctions is widely viewed as a necessary step to help Syria rebuild, allow foreign investment dollars back into the country, and to bring stability to the nation. The European Union this week said it, too, planned to lift its economic sanctions on Syria.
The lifting of some American sanctions will take an act of Congress, adding uncertainty to the timeframe. But Mr. Anton said some steps can be taken quickly.
“I think certain waivers can be granted within days, a week at most,” Mr. Anton said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, was also in the Mideast last week and said he is “very inclined” to support sanctions relief for Syria “under the right conditions.”
“Waiving congressionally passed sanctions is a complicated process. While I would like to empower the new players in Syria, it has to be done in a coordinated fashion with our allies — especially our friends in Israel — so that numerous security concerns can be addressed,” Mr. Graham said in a statement last week. “Over the past decades, locations in Syria have been used to attack Israel.”
“This newly formed government in Syria may be a good investment and could be the pathway to unifying Syria, making it a stable part of the region. However, there is a lot that must be learned before making that determination,” Mr. Graham said.
