Trump administration monitoring actions of Syria's new rulers, State Dept says

By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The administration of President Donald Trump is monitoring the actions of Syria's interim leaders as Washington determines future policy, the U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Friday, but indicated any quick sanctions relief for Damascus was unlikely.

"We are monitoring the Syrian interim authorities' actions in general, across a number of issues, as we determine and think about the future U.S. policy for Syria," the spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, told reporters at a daily press briefing.

"We also continue to call for an inclusive, civilian-led government that can ensure national institutions are effective, responsive and representative," Bruce said.

Her comments offered a rare glimpse into the Trump administration's thinking on Syria policy as Washington has largely been quiet on the topic since the Republican president came into office on January 20.

The biggest question for Washington is whether it is open to lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria and how it sees the future of U.S. troops in the northeastern part of the country.

Many Western nations had imposed a range of sanctions on Syria under its ousted President Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled late last year by insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al Qaeda affiliate.

When asked specifically whether the United States was considering sanctions relief for Syria, Bruce said: "Dynamic has not changed and there are no plans to change it at this point."

But she said there was not a "blanket block" and cited an exemption. In January, the outgoing Biden administration issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with Syrian governing institutions for six months.

The United States, however, continues to designate HTS as a terrorist entity, even though its leader and Syria's current interim president, Ahmed Sharaa, severed ties with al Qaeda in 2016 and HTS was officially dissolved in January.

Sanctions are a big road block for Sharaa. The United Nations says nine out of 10 Syrians live in poverty.

Washington has repeatedly called for Syria's new government to be inclusive. "Local ownership and broad societal support is necessary for stability in Syria and the region as recent deadly violence on the coast demonstrated. Long-term stability and prosperity for the people of Syria requires a government that protects all Syrians equally," Bruce said.

Violence erupted earlier this month after Syria's Sunni Islamist-led authorities said their security forces came under attack by militants loyal to Assad, whose Alawite family comes from the coastal region.

The attack unleashed widespread killings targeting Alawites - the worst bloodshed since Assad was toppled in December after 14 years of war. Interim President Sharaa has said those responsible will be punished, including his own allies if necessary.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a March 9 statement condemned the "radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis" who murdered people in western Syria, adding that Washington stood with Syria's religious and ethnic minorities.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Patricia Zengerle and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Leslie Adler and Daniel Wallis)