Syria agrees to help find missing Americans, says American envoys

New Syrian The government agreed to help the United States locate the Americans who went and returned MissingOn Sunday, the Special Envoy in the United States to Syria said in another sign of the melting of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Thomas Barak, the American ambassador to Türkiye, who was also appointed as a special envoy for Syria, described in a After x It was the “step of power forward” between the two countries.

“The families of Austin Tess, Majid Kamalaz and Kayla Muller should conclude,” he added, referring to the American citizens who disappeared or killed in Syria during the devastating civil war that broke out in 2011.

“President Trump has made it clear that bringing or honoring the citizens of the United States of America, in dignity, is a great priority everywhere,” said Barak. “The new Syrian government will help us with this commitment.”

A Syrian source with the knowledge of the talks between the two countries told AFP that there are 11 other names in the list of missing Americans of Washington. All of them are Syrian Americans.

This announcement comes after Barak met with the President of Syria and the Foreign Minister during his visit to Türkiye on Saturday. It also comes at a time when relations between the two countries have improved steadily since former President Bashar al -Assad was expelled in December.

On Friday, the Trump administration granted comprehensive exemptions from Syria in a major first step towards fulfilling the president’s pledge to lift the sanctions of half a century of sanctions that were 14 years of civil war.

In a statement on Saturday, Barak said that Syrian President Ahmed Al -Sharra welcomed Washington’s “rapid work” to “lift the sanctions.”

“President Trump’s goal is to enable the new government to create the conditions of the Syrian people not only alive but thrive,” Barak said in a statement.

Barak said that he stressed that stopping the sanctions against Syria would maintain the integrity of “our primary goal – the permanent defeat of the Islamic State Group, also known as ISIS or ISIS. He added that he would give the Syrians an opportunity for a better future.

Barak said: “She also praised President Sharra to take meaningful steps towards the age of President Trump’s points of foreign terrorist fighters, anti -self -measures, relations with Israel, camps and detention centers in northeastern Syria,” Barack said. He was referring to the detention centers where thousands of members of ISIS and two camps were held, where their families are in the areas currently controlled by the democratic forces supported by the United States and Kurdish.

The sanctions of Congress, known as the Civil Protection Law of Syria, aimed at isolating former rulers in Syria by expelling those who deal with them from the global financial system. They prohibit the reconstruction after the war specifically, so while it can be waived for 180 days through an executive order, investors are likely to be cautious about reconstruction projects when the penalties can be restored after six months.

Mr. Trump said While visiting the area Earlier this month that We will review heavy financial penalties In an attempt to give the interim government a better opportunity to survive.

France-Bask Agency

He contributed to this report.