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Washington Downgrades Syrian Mission's Diplomatic Status in New York for Unrecognized Government
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The U.S. decision signals Washington's refusal to grant international legitimacy to the transitional Syrian authority with Salafi-jihadist leanings that assumed power after the fall of the Assad regim
Washington has notified the Syrian mission in New York via a United Nations memorandum, altering its legal status from a permanent mission of a UN member state to a mission representing a government unrecognized by the United States.
The memorandum revoked G1 visas—reserved for diplomats accredited to the UN—for mission members, reclassifying them as G3 visas, which are issued to foreign nationals eligible for UN accreditation but whose governments are not recognized by the U.S.
Al-Nahar obtained a copy of a cable sent by the Syrian mission to the Foreign Ministry in Damascus, stating: "The memorandum includes an explicit declaration that the United States does not recognize the current Syrian transitional government. Similar steps may follow from other countries sharing the U.S. administration’s concerns."
Malik al-Hafez, a Syrian researcher specializing in international affairs, explained that the U.S. visa reclassification carries significant diplomatic implications:
A de facto withdrawal of recognition from the government represented by the mission, while maintaining Syria’s UN membership.
Grouping Syria with unrecognized governments like Venezuela under Maduro and the former Taliban regime.
Restricting the mission’s mobility and diplomatic privileges.
Al-Hafez noted that this move is tied to Syria’s political context post-Assad, where a transitional authority with Salafi-jihadist ideology has emerged. He argued that the decision marks a new phase that could include:
Freezing relations with any authority misaligned with the U.S. vision for Syria’s future.
Rejecting the revival of legitimacy for religiously branded regimes.
Paving the way for international reevaluation of engagement with the new power structures.
