EU cautiously agrees to ease sanctions on Syria in wake of Assad's downfall

European Union foreign ministers on Monday agreed to begin lifting sanctions on Syria, while insisting that the measures should be reimposed if they see any abuses by the country's new rulers.

The EU started to impose asset freezes and travel bans on Syrian officials and organisations in 2011 in response to Bashar Assad's crackdown on protesters, which festered into a civil war.

The 27-nation bloc targeted 316 people and 86 entities accused of backing Syria's former ruler. It is keen to lift those measures if Syria's new leaders set the country on the path to a peaceful political future involving all minority groups and in which extremism and former allies Russia and Iran have no place.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ministers had agreed on a roadmap for easing sanctions. Speaking after chairing the meeting, she said, the aim was to lift those measures that are most hindering the early buildup of the country and to move from there.

She underlined that the ministers had only reached a political agreement - not one to start easing the measures immediately - and that there are also technical issues to be solved in the weeks ahead before any sanctions can be lifted.

Kallas said that an easing of sanctions could give a boost to the Syrian economy and help the country get back on its feet. But she added: While we aim to move fast, we also are ready to reverse the course if the situation worsens.

The ministers favour on a snap back mechanism to reimpose sanctions if they believe that Syria's new leaders are heading in the wrong direction.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said the aim would be to lift restrictions on things like Syria's infrastructure and energy sector so that the country can develop itself again. He said that certain sanctions will stay in place, such as (on) weapons exports.

Since Damascus fell on Dec 8 and Assad fled to Moscow, Syria's transition has appeared promising, but the new leadership has yet to lay out a clear vision of how the country will be governed.

The Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS a former al-Qaida affiliate that the EU and UN consider to be a terrorist organisation has established itself as Syria's de facto rulers after coordinating with the southern fighters during the offensive late last year.

Veldkamp said that the restrictions on HTS itself would not be eased initially. They're the new ones in power. We want to see how their words are translated into actions, he told reporters.