US senator halts Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act in the US Senate
US Senator Ben Cardin issued a resolution to halt Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act in the US Senate.
Cardin’s statement issued by the policy chief for the American Coalition for Syria, Mohammad Alaa Ghanem, who said: “Carden suspended the act after the collapse of negotiations between his office and the American Coalition for Syria regarding the approval of the bill.”
Ghanem emphasized in the statement published on “X” platform, “The coalition and its allies in the Senate made intensive efforts to reach an agreement that would ensure moving the draft law a step forward, stressing their flexibility and willingness to accept amendments on the condition that they do not undermine the basic objectives of the bill.”
According to Ghanem, Cardin’s office, with a signal from the US administration, insisted on making several amendments, including: “deleting articles designed to protect refugee property from seizure and possession, combating looting humanitarian aid, and amending the clause related to the prohibition of normalization with any government headed by Bashar al-Assad.”
Ghanem pointed out that these amendments, according to the “American Coalition for Syria,” led to the complete collapse of the negotiations.
Ghanem confirmed that “failing by one senator will not deter them from continuing their efforts to push the bill, especially since it enjoys great popularity and support, and was approved by an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives in February 2024.
Ghanem concluded, “The coalition considers that its duty to inform the Syrians in the United States, in Syria, and all over the world about what happened and the reasons that led to it, stressing the continuation of work to achieve the goals of the law and protect the rights of Syrians.”
The bill stipulates that “the policy of the United States prohibits any formal action to recognize or normalize relations with any government led by Bashar al-Assad, and that Washington opposes any other government’s recognition or normalization of relations with the Assad regime through the full implementation of the sanctions set forth in the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 and Executive Order No. 13894, which includes withholding the property and income of certain individuals involved in Syria.
