من المهم أن نشارك هذا مع الناطقين بالإنكليزيّة!
Call to amend US Resolution No. 23 from a text of "pity" to a text that leads to genuine recovery of Syria.
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Due to the incompatibility of Syrian policy with the United States, a series of sanctions were issued (the latest of which is the Caesar Act), among which we mention:
1. Prevent governments or international financial institutions (IMF or World Bank) from providing aid to Syria
2. Arms embargo
3. Banning the export of most U.S. goods
4. Prohibition of the export of U.S. services in shipping, insurance, or information technology
5. Banning trade in Syrian oil and derivatives except with opposition parties cooperating with the United States
6. Banning dealings with Syrian ministries, the Central Bank of Syria and otherpublic entities in charge of maintaining the infrastructures of Syrian economic activity.
7. Prohibiting U.S. banks from providing financial/banking services to Syrian banks and companies.
8. In addition to prohibiting dealing with physical persons and moral entities and preventing them from international travels
After 2005, following the accentuation of US sanctions, US threatened various international bodies that any direct or indirect cooperation with the aforementioned Syrian parties will lead to their own sanctions, whether they cooperate by contracting, supplying or exporting goods and services, or transferring funds directly or indirectly. MT999 circulars were sent by American banks to various banks worldwide through the SWIFT International Organization.
US Treasury delegates and envoys were vehemently exercising their intimidation on foreign and finance ministries in the different countries. Consequently, not only Syrian companies or merchants are banned from international banking cercle, but most Syrians are also still suffering from dealing directly or indirectly in different western currencies and from the deterioration of their Health, educational and economic infrastructure.
They were obliged to choose among the following alternatives:
• In some countries, there are few remaining official channels, the problem is that they are subject to great difference among the different prevailing exchange rates depending on the value of the transfer. amount to a large part of the value of the transfer. However, This is "partially" remedied thanks to recent decisions to bring the official remittance exchange rate closer to the circulating rate.
• Dealing with some money changers, but subject to a very shallow ceiling (four hundred dollars, sometimes less) and probable burdensome commissions
• Dealing with official brokers acquiring large commissions. If the broker is not licensed, people are risking prosecution.
On the 6th of February, the earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey divulged America's double standards in terms of the amount of sympathy and aid provided to Turkey compared to Syria, and most importantly, the sharp contrast between aid provided to earthquake victims compared to the American vehemence in forcing the West to provide immediate aid to millions of Ukrainian refugees and allocating billions of dollars to perpetuate the conflict there.
Due to the escalation of international campaigns to lift the siege on Syria under the current catastrophe, the US Treasury decided to issue the “ambiguous” Resolution No. 23 on 9/2/2023 to assist in recovery efforts from the earthquake disaster. The decision stated that counting from today until August 8, 2023, money transfers will be allowed for the purposes targeting to recover from the earthquake disaster. This resolution is full of contradictions and diversion:
Due to the freezing or interruption in banking correspondence between foreign banks and almost every Syrian bank, the latter is having no ability to carry on normal banking relationship, its balances are either depleted or frozen. Consequently, the ability to carry out alleged humanitarian transfers is not possible.
- Furthermore, due to the pressure on SWIFT, the main artery necessary to facilitate remittances to and from Syria was cut.
- During last recent years, many Syrian were deprived from their basic right to open an account. Sometimes, despite being very respectful client for decades, they were forced to close their existent accounts.
- Remittance ceiling was reduced to $ 400 only, trivial value in front of basic needs required to repair damaged houses or having minimum standard of living for affected families. We believe that international community including American people are willing to help facing this disaster of the February 6 earthquake.
However, the biggest disasters have taken place due to the different events occurred during last decades: Sanctions deepened suffering of most Syrians, Events happened after 2011 leading to a systematic impoverishment and an unprecedented economic blockade without knowing what vision or real goals for this international mobilization lead by the US. Indeed, this chaos lead and contributed to the destruction of Syria rather than bringing safety and prosperity to Syrians, all Syrians.
Having said that, we believe that this resolution purposes are nothing but for a propaganda to absorb the international pressure, best evidence is the tragedy of the afflicted areas outside the control of the Syrian government and the lack of aid received to the rest of the Syria compared to the aid received to Turkey.
Turkey, has all the capabilities, infrastructure, staff, funds and banking channels necessary to deal with this catastrophe. We hope Turkish people fast recovery. But we deplore that unfair attitude toward two neighboring people deserving better international cooperation. The abovementioned facts are blatant examples of international hypocrisy.
History emphasizes that western sanctions cannot be lifted in months or a year, they need long years. Affected families in Syria do not have the luxury of time. If the international community do seriously cares toward Syria's recovery from the disaster, they must motivate the US administration to amend its current "nonsense" decision to make it more serious by introducing the following measures with same vehemence that prevailed when the sanctions were imposed:
1. Abolishing sanctions on various Syrian banks, the Central Bank of Syria and various Syrian insurance companies, unable to deal with the current disaster and being prevented from dealing with international reinsurance companies.
2. Instruct SWIFT to cancel the ban on Syrian banks.
3. Invite American banks to circulate through SWIFT to various international banks a new MT999 to restore the relationship immediately with Syrian banks, encourage them to open correspondent banking relations, reopen accounts with Syrian persons and various Syrian companies that are not subject to any individual sanctions.
4. Genuine relief or recovery cannot be done with mediocre aids or remittances. Due to decades of embargo, the entire Syrian population is suffering from a unemployment, hyperinflation, lack of financial resources for housing, food, medicine and fuel. This earthquake worsened the suffering. Therefore, sanctions must be null and void for all entities in need to intensify their efforts to provide Syria with the necessary bread, medicine, transport, education and minimum infrastructure for the future of their children.
Among these principal entities we mention for examples:
a. Hospitals, ports, airports and various construction companies necessary to secure an adequate infrastructure
b. Syrian energy companies that are struggling to provide plants and different entities with fuel necessary for transport, heat, curing and producing main goods (e.g., bread, food clothes etc.) to the victims of these disastrous circumstances.
We invite interested parties to forward these facts and requests to the various internationally interested people, organizations and governments to invite the US administration to change Resolution 23 and pave the way for an international change in the policy of sanctions that only affects the people.
Dr.Douraid Dergham
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