The United States has not confirmed the Syrian report. In May 2009,
Washington angered Damascus when the White House renewed the Syrian
Accountability Act, sanctions enacted by Congress in 2003.
Officials said the U.S. decision marked the first stage of normalization
between Washington and Damascus. They said the decision
to abolish U.S. sanctions from Syria would require approval by Congress.
"This is a complicated issue," Mustafa said.
The Syrian announcement came in wake of a visit by U.S. envoy George
Mitchell in late July. Officials said Mitchell, identified as the point man
for U.S. relations with Damascus, reassured Assad that Washington intends to
normalize ties with Syria over the next year.
Syria, a major ally of Iran, has a fleet of civilian aircraft, including
Boeing passenger jets. Mustafa said Boeing has long fought U.S. sanctions
that banned the export of
aerospace equipment to Damascus.
In the interview, Mustafa said Obama plans to lift additional sanctions
from Syria, which remains on the U.S. State Department list of terrorist
sponsors. The ambassador did not elaborate.
