Washington removes Syria from the 'Comprehensive Rejection' list for international arms trade

The U.S. Department of State removed Syria from the list of countries subject to a comprehensive denial policy under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, in an additional step toward easing restrictions on defense-related transactions. The decision entered into force at the beginning of the month.

Under the amendment, requests concerning the export of U.S. defense materials and services to Syria are no longer automatically subject to a denial policy solely because Syria is the destination. License requests can now be reviewed, approved, or denied on a case-by-case basis.

The decision does not mean that U.S. arms exports to Syria will be automatic. Deals requiring licenses still need approval from the relevant U.S. authorities and may be subject to controls related to the type of equipment, the end user, and the end use, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

Mohammed Alaa Ghanem, senior advisor to the Syrian-American Council, said the key difference between the recently lifted restrictions and those lifted weeks earlier is that the new decision opens the door for private U.S. companies, commercial firms, and defense industry companies to submit applications to export defense equipment and services to Syria, whereas such requests were previously subject to a comprehensive denial policy.