THE United Nations security council voted on Thursday to lift a series of sanctions on Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and members of his government.

The Syrian leader is soon to arrive in the US for a historic visit to the White House.

The resolution, proposed by the US, to drop UN sanctions tied to Mr Sharaa and Syria’s Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab, stemming from their ties to the jihadist al-Qaida terrorist group, was adopted with 14 members in support. China abstained from the vote, having expressed concerns about the Syrian regime’s links to other jihadists including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which is involved in separatist terror in China’s Xinjiang autonomous region.

Syrian authorities said the near-unanimous support “reflects the growing confidence in President al-Sharaa’s leadership.”

But Chinese ambassador to the UN Fu Cong said that while Beijing supports the Syrian people, the US proposal did not adequately address “the legitimate concerns of all parties” regarding counterterrorism and security in Syria.