Syria's Boycott Policy Toward U.S. Companies

Syrian public sector companies ask in their tender announcements that bidders provide certificates stating that the bidders abide by the Arab League Boycott of Israel. However, in 1978, the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade issued a decision permitting U.S. companies to submit a "positive statement" stating that goods and their components are 100-percent made in the U.S. This allowed bidders to avoid the previous certification that their products were not produced in Israel, language which violates U.S. Anti-Boycott Compliance Law. Nonetheless, some companies still encounter problems obtaining import licenses when they refuse to respond to Syrian inquiries about company activities in Israel (including investments, or importing goods on vessels which have made port calls in Israel). Still others have found that they are unable to register trademarks without providing assurances that violate U.S. boycott laws. Although the Embassy maintains an active dialogue with the Syrian government to resolve these cases, we have found that the boycott is sometimes still an effective bar to U.S. investors/exporters.