Vatican Calls for Lifting Sanctions on Syria
In a significant call for humanitarian action, Alistair Dutton, the Vatican’s humanitarian affairs official, has urged for the immediate lifting of Western sanctions imposed on Syria. Speaking to the U.S.-based “National Catholic Reporter,” Dutton highlighted that these sanctions are no longer justified.
Dutton described the Syrian people as highly capable and educated, but emphasized how the sanctions are crippling their potential. “The real crime and the issue with these sanctions is that they do not hurt those in power; Assad himself has never been affected by them,” he stated. Instead, he pointed out, “Ordinary people on the streets, the simple citizens, suffer the most from these sanctions.”
He further elaborated that his main message is that there is no longer any justification for the sanctions, which paralyze the entire country. “These sanctions make it impossible for people to rebuild their homes, whether destroyed by war or by earthquake,” Dutton added.
Last December, Dutton visited Syria, traveling between Damascus and Aleppo, where he met with Syrian officials and UN staff to assess the situation post-Assad regime. He observed that the interim Syrian government “seems genuinely trying to do the right thing.”
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