US State Department official talks borders, security, sanctions

A representative from the US State Department held a briefing with reporters to discuss what the US expects for Syria as the country moves into a new post-Assad era.

On Friday, John Bass, acting under-secretary for political affairs, said he hoped “to help the Syrian people seize this opportunity to build a better future.”

Following consultations with the Turkish government in Ankara under the rubric of a Syria Working Group, he fielded questions from journalists in the region, who mainly appeared to be interested in border security with Turkey.

He said that concrete steps would need to be taken “to ensure that this transition period does not result in the resurgence of Daesh or the resurgence of other foreign terrorist organisations that have been present inside Syria in a way that creates threats for the citizens of Syria, for Syria’s neighbors, or for any other country.”

In addition to multiple questions on border security, he also addressed the issue internal security for Syria, which he suggested would be helped by securing the borders.

An important element of governance, Bass said, is the “responsibility for international borders, internationally recognized borders, and for internal security within the state.”  

To the relief of many, the end of Assad will mean the easing of sanctions regular people, who can now send money to their loved ones.

Bass said that earlier this week, the US had taken steps to “substantially expand the range of economic activities and the range of support that governments can provide to the interim government to allow it to function effectively, to ensure that basic services can be provided to the Syrian people, and to make sure that conditions do not worsen for the citizens of Syria during this transitional period”.

For the US terrorist designation of HTS or the group’s leader, Ahmed Sharaa, Bass said that would be left to the next administration. 

What wasn’t discussed in the briefing was prospects for the post-dictatorship democratic transition for Syria, or any indications that the US would encourage Syria’s full sovereignty and independence.