The UN Special Envoy called for the immediate lifting of sanctions against Syria.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria called for the swift lifting of Western sanctions against the country following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government.
Geir Pedersen, on Monday, December 25th, in a meeting with reporters in Damascus, said that returning Syria to normalcy after weeks of turmoil requires the rapid lifting of sanctions.
Mr. Pedersen also expressed hope that the sanctions would end soon so that unity and focus could be established for the reconstruction of Syria.
The Syrian government has been under severe sanctions from the United States, the European Union, and other countries for years, imposed in response to the violent reaction of ousted president Bashar al-Assad to peaceful anti-government protests in 2011, which then turned into a civil war.
According to Geir Pedersen, a political process must now begin in Syria so that Syrians can participate and guide the process themselves.
