Riyad Hijab
Defected Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab speaks during a news conference in Amman. The US treasury today announced they were removing the sanctions against him. Reuters

The U.S. Treasury announced on Tuesday that they are removing sanctions that were in place against the former Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab.

Hijab resigned his post on August 6, after which he and his family defected to Jordan with the help of the Free Syrian Army, at which time Hijab released a statement blasting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for perpetuating the violence in Syria.

The statement said "I am from today a soldier in this blessed revolution," and Hijab later added that Assad's government in on the verge of collapse.

The U.S. Treasury said on Tuesday that because Hijab is no longer a "senior official of the Government of Syria," his name will be removed from the Blocked Persons List, and his assets will be unfrozen.

"Recent civilian and military defections from the Assad regime are further indications that the government is crumbling and losing its grip on power," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen in a Treasury statement.

"The United States encourages other officials within the Syrian government, in both the political and military ranks, to take similarly courageous steps to reject the Assad regime and stand with the Syrian people."

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