Calls mounting for US to lift sanctions hampering aid efforts in quake-stricken Syria

As rescue efforts continue in the war-torn Syria following massive earthquakes there, calls are growing for the US and its allies to remove their sanctions, which are said to be hampering international aid efforts in the country.

China has now added its voice to an international outcry over the sanctions, with foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urging the US to remove its unilateral sanctions on Syria and provide convenience for humanitarian assistance to the quake-hit regions in the Arab country.

Mao said the US has been involved in the Syrian crisis for a long time with frequent military intervention and harsh economic sanctions, which have caused a large number of civilian casualties and made it difficult for people to obtain basic living guarantees.

"Up to now, the US military is still occupying the main oil producing areas of Syria, plundering more than 80 percent of the oil production, smuggling and burning Syrian food stocks, which are making the humanitarian crisis there worse," Mao said.

She stressed that in the face of the earthquake, the US should put aside its geopolitical obsession, and lift unilateral sanctions on Syria immediately, opening the door to international humanitarian assistance.

Syria has been a target of US sanctions since 1979. Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, the US and its Western allies have dramatically tightened their economic sanctions and restrictions on the Arab country.

The US sanctions intensified with the passing of the Caesar Act in 2019, which targeted any individual and business that participated either directly or indirectly in Syria reconstruction efforts.

Earlier, the Syrian foreign ministry said the US sanctions are blocking humanitarian work in Syria.

In a statement, the ministry said that the Syrians, while dealing with the earthquake catastrophe, are digging among the rubble with their own hands or using the simplest tools as  equipment for removing the rubble is banned by the US sanctions.

It said that the Syrians are also denied access to medicines and medical equipment that would help them face dangers and diseases.

Syrian FM: US sanctions prevent delivery of 'everything' to Syria after deadly earthquake

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has warned that the US sanctions have worsened the situation after the devastating earthquake.

On Tuesday, Syrian Arab Red Crescent President Khaled Hboubati also called for the lifting of the US and Western sanctions as the country is in dire need of rescue equipment.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, Hboubati stressed that the country needs heavy machinery and ambulances and firetrucks to continue its search and rescue operations and clear rubble.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has also called on the world to pressure the US to lift the sanctions on Syria.

The ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani has urged the international community to force the US to lift the siege of the Arab state so that international humanitarian aid can be delivered to the quake-stricken people without any obstacle and at the shortest time.

And on Monday, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), a US-based advocacy group, called for the "immediate" lifting of the US sanctions to facilitate the delivery of aid to Syria.

So far, the US and its allies have resisted calls for creating a political opening, and ruled out the possibility of dealing directly with the Syrian government in quake relief efforts.

Hezbollah sends aid convoys to quake-hit Syria, decries US-led sanctions

Hezbollah urges countries around the world to rush to send rescue workers, equipment and aid to help victims of the earthquake in Syria.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday the US will send aid to Syria through non-governmental organizations without engaging with the Syrian government, which it opposes.

Meantime, the World Health Organization has urged the global community to lend a helping hand to Syria as the country’s humanitarian needs are particularly high.

The United Nations and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have also called for emergency aid to help prevent the humanitarian situation in Syria from worsening.

According to official figures, the death toll has risen to more than 9,000 in Turkey and over 2,600 in Syria.

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