Unique-Qatar plans to assist enhance Syrian authorities salaries, sources say

By Timour Azhari and Andrew Mills

DAMASCUS/DOHA (Reuters) – Qatar is planning to assist finance a large enhance in public sector wages promised by Syria’s new authorities, a U.S. official and a senior diplomat stated, very important help to the brand new Islamist rulers in Damascus a month after they toppled Bashar al-Assad.

The help for the brand new Syrian administration has been made attainable by a U.S. sanctions exemption issued by Washington on Monday, permitting for transactions with governing establishments in Syria for six months.

An Arab official stated talks on Qatar funding Syrian authorities salaries had been below approach and nothing had been finalised, including that different international locations together with Saudi Arabia might be part of within the effort.

A Saudi official instructed Reuters on Tuesday that the dominion was dedicated to working with regional and worldwide companions to assist help Syria and that its present help is “centered on humanitarian assist together with meals, shelter, and medical provides.”

Qatar, a longtime backer of the Syrian armed rebellion towards Assad, had been lobbying Washington closely to situation the sanctions exemption so it may present funding in an official method, the U.S. official and the diplomat stated. 

Syrian rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took energy from Assad on Dec. 8 in a lightning offensive and have since put in an interim authorities that has promised a 400% wage enhance for public sector staff.

The entire month-to-month price ticket for salaries together with the rise is round $120 million, with greater than 1.25 million staff on the public-sector payroll, the brand new finance minister has stated.

A Syrian finance ministry supply stated they’d no affirmation on overseas funding of salaries however there had been basic pledges of help. 

The Qatari overseas ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. 

HTS was designated a terrorist entity by Washington a number of years in the past however has long-since damaged ties with Islamist militant group Al Qaeda and has lately signalled a extra average strategy.

The rebels-turned-rulers have promised to embark on an inclusive political course of in Syria bringing collectively all its ethnic and spiritual elements and have made efforts to achieve out to different Gulf Arab states cautious of their historical past.

Syrian Overseas Minister Asaad al-Shibani visited Riyadh on his first official journey overseas final week, and has since made stops within the UAE, Qatar and Jordan. 

Arab States, European powers and the U.S. have engaged with the brand new Syrian rulers as a part of an effort to present them an opportunity to stabilize the nation and embark on an inclusive political course of, diplomats stated. 

Qatar, a tiny however rich Gulf state that performs an outsized function in worldwide diplomacy, has moved swiftly over the past month to ascertain hyperlinks with the brand new Syrian authorities, sending senior officers to Damascus and re-opening its embassy. On Tuesday, Qatar Airways resumed common flights between Doha and Damascus.

Doha severed official relations with the Assad authorities in 2011 and it rejected efforts by a number of Arab international locations to fix relations with Damascus lately.

The White Home Nationwide Safety Council didn’t instantly reply to questions on whether or not the U.S. had been knowledgeable of the talks about Qatari help and if such an association would meet the necessities of the six-month U.S. sanctions exemption introduced on Monday.