Regional
Saudi Arabia plans to pay off Syria’s World Bank debts – Reuters
Syria has around $15 million in arrears to the World Bank which must be paid off before the international financial institution can approve grants and provide other forms of assistance.
Saudi Arabia plans to pay off Syria’s debts to the World Bank, paving the way for the approval of millions of dollars in grants for reconstruction and to support the country’s paralysed public sector, Reuters reported on Monday citing three people familiar with the matter
The plans, which have not been previously reported, would be the first known instance of Saudi Arabia providing financing for Syria since Islamist-led rebels toppled former leader Bashar al-Assad last year.
It may also be a sign that crucial Gulf Arab support for Syria is beginning to materialize after previous plans, including an initiative by Doha to fund salaries, were held up by uncertainty over U.S. sanctions.
Last month, Qatar announced a plan to provide Syria with gas via Jordan to improve the nation’s meagre electricity supply, a move that sources told Reuters had Washington’s nod of approval.
A spokesperson for the Saudi Ministry of Finance told Reuters, “We do not comment on speculation, but make announcements, if and when they become official.”
The Saudi government’s media office, a World Bank spokesperson and a Syrian government official did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Syria has around $15 million in arrears to the World Bank which must be paid off before the international financial institution can approve grants and provide other forms of assistance.
But Damascus is short of foreign currency and a previous plan to pay off the debts using assets frozen abroad did not materialize, according to two people familiar with the matter.
World Bank officials have discussed providing financing to help reconstruct the country’s power grid, heavily damaged by years of war, and also to support public sector pay, two of the sources said.
Reuters reported on Saturday that Syria would send a high-level delegation to Washington for the yearly spring meetings of the World Bank and IMF later this month, marking the first visit by Syrian officials to the U.S. since Assad’s ouster.
It is unclear whether the Syrian delegation will meet with any U.S. officials.
Tough U.S. sanctions imposed during Assad’s rule remain in place.
In January, the U.S. issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage humanitarian aid, but this has had limited effect.
Last month the U.S. gave Syria a list of conditions to fulfil in exchange for partial sanctions relief but the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has otherwise engaged little with the country’s new rulers.
That is in part due to differing views in Washington on how to approach Syria.
Some White House officials have been keen to take a more hard line stance, pointing to the new Syrian leadership’s former ties to Al-Qaeda as reason to keep engagement to a minimum, according to diplomats and U.S. sources.
Regional
Aimal Wali Khan calls Dera Ismail Khan attack a ‘state failure’
Khan called on the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to take greater responsibility for protecting citizens and addressing the deteriorating security situation in the province.
Awami National Party (ANP) President and Senator Aimal Wali Khan has condemned the suicide attack on the Aman Mela checkpoint in the Darazinda area of Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan district, describing it as a failure by the state to ensure the security of citizens.
According to Dawn, Khan called on the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to take greater responsibility for protecting citizens and addressing the deteriorating security situation in the province.
In a statement, Khan said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is experiencing one of the darkest periods in its history. He alleged that the Pashtun population is facing systematic violence and said prolonged insecurity has left the province deeply affected by terrorism.
Khan also condemned an attack on an ambulance reportedly carrying the body of a person killed in the blast, describing it as an “inhumane act.”
The ANP leader questioned the government’s response to the worsening security situation, saying that blaming groups referred to by authorities as “Fitna al-Khawarij” and “Fitna al-Hindustan” does not absolve the state of its responsibility to protect citizens.
He urged the federal and provincial governments to stop blaming each other and instead focus on restoring peace and strengthening security across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Eleven people were killed and 30 injured in a blast in Dera Ismail Khan in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, emergency service Rescue 1122 said.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack.
The blast occurred near Aman Mela in the Darazinda area of the district, Rescue 1122 said in a statement.
Rescue teams from the Darazinda station reached the scene and began relief operations, providing medical assistance to the wounded and taking them to hospital, the service said.
Security incidents have continued in the district this month, including attacks involving the Pakistani Taliban.
Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has postponed a planned long march from Peshawar to Islamabad until October 4, the chief minister of the PTI-ruled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Sohail Afridi, told reporters on Friday.
PTI had planned to begin the march on September 27 to press for the release of Khan, who has been in jail since 2023. The PTI’s last large-scale protest two years ago ended in deadly clashes with security forces, Reuters reported.
Earlier this week, Pakistan curbed access to its capital, Islamabad, by blocking major highways with shipping containers and deploying tens of thousands of security forces, ahead of the march planned by Khan’s supporters.
Party spokesperson Zulfi Bukhari, however, told Reuters that although they had moved the planned date to October 4, they could launch the march earlier.
“We can now do it whenever we deem fit. The question is to the government, as to how long they’re willing to keep the country closed off?”, Bukhari said.
Authorities have detained three of Khan’s sisters and hundreds of party activists in recent days, citing a need to maintain public order.
Khan, 73, a former cricket star ousted by parliament in a 2022 no-confidence vote, has claimed to be a political prisoner.
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