US State Department logo. Graphic: Rudaw
WASHINGTON DC - The United States on Friday said it had noted concerns about the “consolidation of power” in Damascus and called for an “inclusive, civilian-led” government.
“We are following developments that [interim President] Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a so-called constitutional declaration and note concerns expressed around the consolidation of power by al-Sharaa,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Rudaw during a press briefing.
She urged the Damascus authorities to form “an inclusive, civilian-led government that can ensure national institutions are effective, responsive and representative.”
Sharaa last week signed a constitutional declaration that grants the president exclusive executive power, the authority to appoint one-third of the legislature, and the ability to appoint judges to the constitutional court, which is the body that can hold him accountable.
It also centers on Islamic jurisprudence, stipulates that the country’s president must be a Muslim, sets a five-year transitional period of the country, and maintains the name of the country as the Syrian Arab Republic.
The document drew criticism, particularly from Syria’s Kurdish, Christian, Druze and Yazidi communities.
The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political arm of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF), on Monday called for “fundamental amendments” to the new constitution, saying that it falls short of meeting the aspirations of the Syrian people.
Syrian minority rights
The US State Department spokesperson said on Friday that Washington is “continuing to watch the interim authorities’ actions to see if they guarantee equal rights and treatment for all Syrians and preserve individual freedoms,” adding that the US “continues to stand with the people of Syria.”
In early March, loyalists of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad launched an attack on security forces affiliated with the new Syrian leadership in the Alawite-majority western regions.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that around 1,500 people, mostly Alawites, were killed in several days of violence, mainly by government or government-affiliated forces.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the time slammed "radical Islamist terrorists" for committing "massacres" against minorities in Syria, and urged the new Damascus leadership to “hold the perpetrators of these massacres against Syria's minority communities accountable.”
"The United States condemns the radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis that murdered people in western Syria in recent days," Rubio said.
Bruce reiterated on Friday that “local ownership and broad societal support is necessary for stability in Syria and the region, as recent deadly violence on the coast demonstrated,” adding that “long term stability and prosperity for the people of Syria requires a government that protects all Syrians equally.”
She added that the US wants a Syria that “lives in peace with its neighbors, respects human rights and prohibits terrorists from using its territory as a safe haven,” noting “we're watching to see how they behave and how they react.”
Policies on Iran
On the topic of Iran, the US State Department spokesperson told Rudaw that “the sanctions dynamic” against Tehran “has not changed, and there's no plans to change it at this point.”
“Iran's behavior, as we know across the globe, threatens US national interests, which is why President [Donald] Trump has reimposed the maximum pressure campaign designated to end Iran's nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop it from supporting terrorist groups,” she added.
Under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear enrichment program in exchange for much-needed relief from crippling sanctions.
The deal began unraveling in 2018 when Trump, during his first term, unilaterally withdrew the US from the accord and reimposed biting sanctions on Iran. A year later, Tehran began gradually ramping up its nuclear activities.
After returning to the White House, Trump in early February restored his maximum pressure policy against Tehran, arguing that it is “too close” to a nuclear weapon. He also expressed openness to negotiate a new deal with Iran, though Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei deemed negotiations “unwise.”
On March 7, Trump told Fox Business that he had sent a letter to Khamenei opening the door to nuclear negotiations. He warned that “if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing for them [Iran].”
Khamenei in mid-March rejected Trump's letter as deceptive, noting that the US president’s excessive demands would "tighten the knot of sanctions and increase pressure” on Tehran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday said that Trump’s letter contained both threats and opportunities. He said that his country would respond in due time but would not negotiate directly, in light of the ongoing pressure and sanctions.
Trump’s “message is mostly threatening, but it also claims there are opportunities. We will examine the dimensions of both the threats and the opportunities,” Araghchi said in a televised interview broadcast by state media.
The Iranian foreign ministry also said on Thursday that Iran has a clear policy: “Under pressure and sanctions, we will certainly not engage in direct negotiations” and talks “must take place from a position of equality.”
The US State Department spokesperson told Rudaw on Friday that Trump “has made clear Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” and anticipated further sanctions on nations and entities “that are assisting that framework.” Bruce claimed that the Trump administration has been “very effective” in “stopping [Iran’s] malign behavior.”
Washington has recently imposed new sanctions targeting Iran’s international oil sales, including brokers and operators in China, India, and the United Arab Emirates.
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