The European Union will next week lift sanctions on Syria's banking, energy and transport sectors, diplomats said, a move aimed at helping rebuild the country after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.
Syria's new rulers have demanded that the West ease sanctions on the country, which were imposed to target the Assad regime during the Syrian civil war.
But Europe and other powers have been hesitant to make moves in this direction without receiving clear signals from the new Islamist rulers in Damascus whether they are serious about making an inclusive transition.
The step, which is expected to get the green light during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, is a formal move, after the bloc agreed last month to suspend sanctions in key areas.
Diplomats said on February 21 that sanctions could be reinstated if Syria's new rulers break promises to respect minority rights and backtrack on democracy.
The United Nations said the other day that at current growth rates, it will take Syria more than 50 years to return to the economic level it had before the civil war began.
Much of Syria's infrastructure has been destroyed and the economy has also been devastated by years of international isolation, following Assad's 2011 crackdown on the opposition, which sparked civil war.
The EU and other international powers are trying to gain influence in Syria after the overthrow of Assad, who was supported by Russia and Iran./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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