DAMASCUS — The expiration of a 45-day US congressional review period on Saturday cleared a key procedural hurdle toward removing Syria from Washington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, a Syrian official said.Jihad Makdissi, an adviser on US affairs at the Syrian Foreign Ministry, said the end of the review period completed the congressional stage but did not automatically remove Syria from the designation.He said Washington can now proceed to the final executive step, which requires a formal decision by the US secretary of state and publication in the Federal Register.Makdissi said the move could help ease restrictions linked to the terrorism designation and send a positive signal to international financial institutions, companies and governments.He said removing Syria from the list could facilitate investment, trade and banking transactions.Makdissi cautioned, however, that other restrictions imposed on Syria remain subject to separate legal procedures and would not automatically be lifted as part of the same process.He said the next phase would focus on completing the executive procedures and addressing remaining restrictions to enable broader economic and political engagement with Syria.Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met US President Donald Trump in Ankara on July 8 on the sidelines of a NATO summit.According to the Syrian Arab News Agency, Trump handed al-Sharaa a formal letter informing him that Congress had been notified of his decision to remove Syria from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.That notification triggered the 45-day congressional review period, which has now expired.
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