US vows to prevent Assad victory on eve of sanctions

UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Tuesday warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he will never secure a full victory and must reach a political compromise, on the eve of stinging new sanctions. The war-torn nation has seen an intensifying economic crisis and on Wednesday the Caesar Act takes effect, a US law that targets companies that deal with Damascus. Kelly Craft, the US ambassador to the United Nations, urged Assad to embrace Security Council Resolution 2254 of 2015 — which called for a ceasefire, elections and political transition in Syria — and talks under UN envoy Geir Pedersen. “The Assad regime has a clear choice to make: pursue the political path established in Resolution 2254, or leave the United States with no other choice but to continue withholding reconstruction funding and impose sanctions against the regime and its financial backers,” Craft told the Security Council.