UK resets ties with Syria as foreign minister visits Damascus

By Muvija M

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Saturday it was reestablishing diplomatic relations with Syria after the country's years-long civil war, as foreign minister David Lammy visited its capital Damascus, pledging 94.5 million pounds ($129 million) in support.

"There is renewed hope for the Syrian people," Lammy said in a statement. "It is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians."

The West has been slowly resetting its approach to Syria since insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted Bashar al-Assad as president in December following more than 13 years of war.

Lammy's visit, the first by a British minister in 14 years, comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating a U.S. sanctions program on Syria, ending its isolation from the international financial system and helping it rebuild after the war.

Britain also eased its sanctions in April, unfreezing the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities, including banks and oil companies to encourage investments, though it kept in place those targeting members of the former regime.

The financial support package announced on Saturday will provide urgent humanitarian aid to Syria and support the country's longer-term recovery through developing areas such as education, the government statement said.

A stable Syria will reduce the risk of "irregular migration", ensure chemical weapons are destroyed, and tackle the threat of terrorism, Lammy said, after he met with his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

In those meetings, Lammy reiterated the importance of an "inclusive and representative political transition" in Syria and offered Britain's continued support, the statement said.

Lammy is also due to travel to Kuwait, where regional security and strengthening bilateral relations will be top of the agenda. He is also expected to announce a new partnership with the Gulf monarchy to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

($1 = 0.7325 pounds)

(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Alison Williams and Jan Harvey)

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