GENEVA

The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday welcomed the US decision to lift sectoral sanctions on Syria, calling on other countries to take similar steps to alleviate the deepening economic and humanitarian crisis in Syria.

"The humanitarian and economic situation could not be more dire. Ninety percent of Syrians live on less than two US dollars per day,” the commission said in a post on X.

"Sectoral sanctions imposed on the former government in response to its mass atrocities are now impeding Syrians from rebuilding their country," it added.

Commissioner Hanny Megally said: "We met humanitarian actors who explained how sanctions not only impede aid delivery and investment, but even remittances from individual Syrians eager to rebuild homes and lives."

Megally also welcomed a recent decision by the EU to suspend a range of its own sanctions, describing it as "a positive step that should prompt further sanctions review."

Earlier in the day, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the agency is taking steps to ease sanctions on Syria, following President Donald Trump's pledge to give the country "a fresh start."

The announcement came one day after Trump declared his intention to lift sanctions in Saudi Arabia. "I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness. It’s their time to shine," Trump said in Riyadh.

Trump said he made this decision after consultations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.