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Senate Hearings Spotlight Syria Sanctions Lift, Repatriation of Detainees and Opportunity in Lebanon
Summary
Nominee Joel Rayburn and senators debated the administration's recent decision to lift Syria sanctions, expectations for the Syrian authorities, risks including possible resurgence of violence, and opportunities to bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces to counter Hezbollah.
WASHINGTON — Senate Foreign Relations Committee members pressed Joel Rayburn, the president's nominee for assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, on the administration's recent decision to lift sanctions on Syria and on how the United States should handle repatriation of foreign nationals held in northeast Syrian camps and support for Lebanon.
Rayburn described the president's move as offering "a golden opportunity" for Syrians to rebuild and for the region to reduce the influence of Iran and its proxies, but he stressed that the administration has "expectations" for Syrian authorities and that restoration of sanctions is possible if those expectations are not met.
Ranking Member…
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