Qatar plans to help finance a massive increase in public sector wages promised by Syria’s new government, a US official and a senior diplomat said, a month after it ousted Bashar al-Assad. Vital aid to the new Islamic rulers in Damascus. Support for the new Syrian administration has been made possible by a waiver from US sanctions issued by Washington on Monday, allowing transactions with government institutions in Syria for six months.
Qatar funding Syrian government salaries is under discussion and nothing has been decided, an Arab official said, adding that other countries, including Saudi Arabia, could join the effort.
A Saudi official told Reuters on Tuesday that the kingdom is committed to working with regional and international partners to support Syria and that its current support “focuses on humanitarian assistance, including food, shelter and medical supplies.”
U.S. officials and diplomats said Qatar, a longtime supporter of the Syrian armed rebellion against Assad, was heavily lobbying Washington to issue sanctions relief so it could provide official funding.
Syrian rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized power from Assad in a landslide on December 8 and have since installed an interim government that has promised a 400% pay rise for public sector workers.
The new finance minister has said the total monthly value of salaries, including increases, is about $120 million, with more than 1.25 million workers on the public sector payroll.
A source at the Syrian Finance Ministry said they had no confirmation of foreign funding of the salaries, but made general pledges of support.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
HTS was designated a terrorist entity by Washington several years ago, but it has long severed ties to al Qaeda and has signaled a more moderate approach in recent years.
The rebels-turned-rulers have promised to launch an inclusive political process by bringing together all ethnic and religious constituents in Syria and have made efforts to reach out to other Gulf Arab states wary of their history.
Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani visited Riyadh last week on his first official trip abroad and has since stopped in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan.
Diplomats said Arab states, European powers and the US have held talks with the new Syrian rulers in an effort to give them a chance to stabilize the country and begin an inclusive political process.
Qatar, a small but wealthy Gulf state that plays a big role in international diplomacy, moved quickly last month to establish ties with the new Syrian government, sending senior officials to Damascus and reopening its embassy. . On Tuesday, Qatar Airways resumed regular flights between Doha and Damascus.
Doha severed official ties with the Assad government in 2011 and has rejected efforts by several Arab countries to improve ties with Damascus in recent years.
The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to questions about whether the US had been informed about the talks regarding support for Qatar and whether such an arrangement would meet the requirements of the six-month US sanctions waiver announced on Monday. .
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