NEW YORK — The United Nations General Assembly is the only annual gathering that brings together just about every world leader. In some cases, it’s their only time stepping foot on U.S. soil.
It’s a unique opportunity for members of Congress, too — especially those who travel to foreign capitals frequently on what’s known as a CODEL, or congressional delegation.
This week, Punchbowl News partnered with the World Economic Forum for a series of interviews with members of Congress, in addition to some sideline chats with other powerful lawmakers.
For the WEF programming, we spoke with Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), the chair of the East Asia and Pacific subcommittee; and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), ranking member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
You can watch those conversations in full here.
Syria sanctions. One of the most remarkable moments of the summit so far was a conversation between retired Gen. David Petraeus and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who were once on opposite sides of the war on terror.
This divide is at the core of a dispute between the Senate and the House over whether to include in the annual defense policy bill a repeal of the Caesar Act, the economic sanctions imposed during Syria’s civil war.
Al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda leader whose forces overthrew Bashar al-Assad last year, has been making the case to U.S. lawmakers that the sanctions should be repealed in order to spur badly-needed foreign investment that can help rebuild the war-torn country.
The Senate’s version of the bill includes a repeal of those sanctions, which the Trump administration supports. But the House’s NDAA doesn’t, and it’s unclear how the issue will be resolved.
After meeting with al-Sharaa in New York, Meeks seemed to have concerns about lifting the sanctions, using the Ronald Reagan phrase “trust but verify.”
“I need to see and to make sure that they’re going to be moving in the right direction that brings people together, especially some of the religious minorities,” Meeks said. “I’m hopeful. I want him to be able to succeed.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who also attended the meeting with al-Sharaa and met with him in Damascus for two hours last month, sees the recent developments in Syria as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for regional stability. She strongly supports a full repeal.
Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said she was glad Meeks heard directly from al-Sharaa about his commitments, particularly on keeping Iran out of Syria.
“I’m hopeful that [Meeks] will agree that it’s important to do the repeal,” Shaheen said.
Palestinian statehood. Several Democrats came out in support of the decision by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and France to formally recognize a Palestinian state, saying the United States should do the same.
Meeks and Shaheen aren’t there quite yet.
Shaheen said the United States should first put pressure on Israel to end the bombing in Gaza and develop a postwar plan. Shaheen said the allies’ recognition is “the result of frustration that people are feeling about how the Netanyahu government is conducting the war.”
Meeks similarly characterized a statehood recognition as premature, saying the war must end, the hostages must be released, and Hamas “must have no power in the potential of having a two-state solution.”
