-
Qatar Seeks to Finance Salaries of Syrian State Employees After Sanctions Lift
-
Qatar's Attempts to Fund Syrian Public Sector Salaries Reveal Desire to Penetrate Syrian Landscape Again to Achieve Suspicious Regional Objectives
Reuters revealed Qatar's intention to contribute to financing the anticipated salary increase for Syrian public sector workers, following Washington's sanctions exemptions for dealing with Syrian institutions.
A senior American official and diplomat disclosed to the agency that Doha plans to participate in financing the significant wage increase for state employees, promised by the interim government, a crucial step for the new Damascus administration.
Reuters highlighted that supporting the new Syrian administration has become possible under the US sanctions exemption issued Monday, allowing interactions with Syrian governance institutions for six months.
An Arab source indicated ongoing discussions about Qatar financing Syrian government salaries without reaching a final agreement, suggesting potential participation from other countries, including Saudi Arabia.
A Saudi official stated the Kingdom is "committed to working with regional and international partners to help support Syria", explaining current Saudi assistance focuses on humanitarian aid including food, shelter, and medical supplies.
The American official emphasized Qatar's intensive pressures on Washington to issue sanctions exemptions, enabling official funding injection.
Finance Minister in the interim government, Mohammed Abazid, reviewed a plan to raise public sector employee salaries by 400% starting next February.
Abazid revealed monthly salary costs with the increase would reach $120 million for over 1.25 million registered public sector employees, noting salary payment postponement due to discovering significant inflation in registered employee numbers compared to reality.
The Syrian minister warned about discovering fictitious names in financial lists receiving salaries without actual workplace presence, resulting from nepotism and corruption during the previous regime.
Levant-Agencies
