U.S. starts to lift sanctions on Syria

The United States took initial steps on Friday to ease sanctions on Syria, following President Donald Trump's pledge to do so during his Middle East trip. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a document, known as GL 25, to ease financial restrictions on Syria.

The new policy could bring new investment, the provision of financial and other services to Syria, and permit transactions related to Syrian-origin petroleum or petroleum products, the department said, adding it had permitted U.S. financial institutions to maintain correspondent accounts for the Commercial Bank of Syria. 

Also on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a 180-day waiver under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act to facilitate investments and ensure the provision of essential services like electricity and water.