New Syrian foreign minister attends UN Security Council in first US appearance since Assad's fall

UNITED NATIONS — Syria's foreign minister attended a U.N. Security Council briefing Friday after raising his country's new flag at the international body's headquarters. It was the first public appearance by a high-ranking Syrian government official in the United States since the fall of President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December.

Asaad al-Shibani is part of a delegation of authorities from Damascus' new government who have traveled to the United States this week in hopes of receiving relief from harsh sanctions that were imposed by America and its allies after Assad's brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011 that spiraled into a civil war.

''The brutal policies of that era deepened divisions, forcing entire families to immigrate and leaving behind their hopes and dreams that were reduced to ashes,'' al-Shibani said in his remarks to the Security Council. ''However, I'm here today to represent that new Syria.''

His arrival marks a stunning new chapter for the war-torn country, which has spent the better part of the last several decades isolated and ostracized from the rest of the world.

Marking the arrival of a new Syria

The presence of the new Syria was evident outside the U.N. headquarters as al-Shibani watched the three-starred flag previously used by opposition groups replace the two-starred flag of the Assad era as the country's official emblem.

"This flag is not a mere symbol but rather a proclamation of a new existence ... embodying a future that emerges from resilience and a promise of change after years of pain," al-Shibani said.

Members of the Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body, welcomed the new interim minister, saying his attendance is a ''positive step" toward a more prosperous Syria. But many countries and U.N. officials warned there is still much more work to be done to heal the country's wounds.

''Syria has moved beyond a caretaker government to a new, expanded and more diverse cabinet,'' Geir Pedersen, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, told the council. "This is an improvement from what went before. Yet it is still not a fully inclusive framework for political transition. And this leaves many Syrians unsure of their place in the emerging new Syria.''

The U.N.'s deputy humanitarian chief, Joyce Msuya, described the situation on the ground in Syria as among the ''world's largest'' humanitarian crises, with nearly three-quarters of the population requiring assistance, more than half of the country facing food insecurity and at least 7 million people displaced.

''Millions of refugees and internally displaced persons who have expressed their desire to return home will continue to be dissuaded by a lack of basic services and livelihood opportunities,'' Msuya said, urging U.N. members to deliver the basic funding required to address these issues.

The US hasn't recognized the new government yet

Other Syrian officials attended meetings at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund this week in Washington, but it was unclear if Trump administration officials would meet al-Shibani during the visit.

Dorothy Shea, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said in her remarks Friday that the U.S. ''continues to closely monitor the actions of the Syrian interim authorities,'' while remaining hopeful that the interim cabinet ''represents a positive step.'' But, she added, the U.S. expects ''to see additional action and the appointment of more qualified and representative individuals to serve in critical positions.''

She also laid out the most public and explicit outline of what it would take for the U.S. to lift sanctions on Syria, saying the new government must, among other things, fully renounce and suppress terrorism, adopt a policy of "non-aggression to neighboring states, destroy any remaining weapons of mass destruction and assist in the recovery of U.S. citizens disappeared within Syria.

President Donald Trump's administration has yet to officially recognize the current Syrian government of Ahmad al-Sharaa, an Islamist former insurgent who led the offensive that toppled Assad. The Republican administration has also left the Assad-era sanctions in place, although it has provided temporary relief from some restrictions. The militant group that al-Sharaa led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, remains a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

''While Syria has opened its doors to states and given hope to its people to return, the burden of sanctions continues to threaten our stability,'' al-Shibani told the Security Council. ''When international organizations and corporations seek to invest in and rebuild our economy, they find that these sanctions that have expired stand in the way.''

Two Republican members of the U.S. Congress, Reps. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Cory Mills of Florida arrived in Damascus last week on an unofficial visit organized by a Syrian-American nonprofit group and met with al-Sharaa and other government officials.

Mills told The Associated Press before meeting with al-Sharaa that ''ultimately, it's going to be the president's decision'' to lift sanctions or not, although he said that ''Congress can advise.''

Mills later told Bloomberg News that he had discussed the U.S. conditions for sanctions relief with al-Sharaa, including ensuring the destruction of chemical weapons left over from the Assad era, coordinating on counterterrorism, making a plan to deal with foreign militants who fought alongside the armed opposition to Assad, and providing assurances to Israel that Syria wouldn't pose a threat.

He also said that al-Sharaa had said that Syria could normalize relations with Israel ''under the right conditions,'' without specifying what those conditions are.

Other Western countries have warmed up to the new Syrian authorities more quickly. The U.K. government on Thursday lifted sanctions against a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and media outlets, and the European Union has begun to roll back its sanctions.

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Sewell reported from Beirut.