Syria: Welcome back into Arab League

Arab foreign ministers welcomed Syria’s formal return to their 22-member bloc after 12 years of isolation. Syrian delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, is attending the preparatory meeting of foreign ministers in Jeddah ahead of the 32nd Arab League Summit scheduled for Friday.

Saudi Arabia took over the rotating presidency of the Arab League summit as Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf handed over the presidency to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. The foreign ministers started finalizing the agenda and preparing draft resolutions of the summit.

In his presidential address, Prince Faisal bin Farhan underscored the need for unity among Arab countries in order to overcome common challenges and difficulties as well as to confront major global challenges. The foreign minister welcomed the Arab delegations, especially the Syrian delegation.

He emphasized that the world is going through great challenges that warrant us to stand united to confront them. “Everyone must innovate new mechanisms to confront the challenges faced by our countries,” he said while underscoring the need for joint action by Arab countries for the advancement of their peoples.

The foreign ministers stressed the importance of a ceasefire in Sudan to ensure the safety of its citizens and called for the crisis to be treated as an internal matter. The summit comes at a time of major political developments, including the Sudan crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Syria’s readmission to the body, all of which were at the top of the agenda of the ministerial meeting preparatory for Friday’s summit.

This year’s summit differs from previous years as it is the first to be attended by Syria since the country’s membership was suspended in 2011. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will attend the summit. Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit welcomed the high-level Syrian delegation.

At the outset of the session, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf called for resolving the Arab differences within the Arab House, stressing that the upcoming summit seeks to unite the Arab world in confronting the challenges in the region.

Attaf emphasized that Arab countries should focus on joint Arab action to confront the global challenges. He also stressed the need to pay attention to the changes taking place in the world, because they will change the balance of power. He supported Saudi Arabia’s efforts for the cessation of hostilities in Sudan and resolve the crisis. He also emphasized that the Libyan-Libyan dialogue alone will restore stability to Libya.

Attaf underlined the need to exert efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation and national unity. He also supported the aspirations of the Yemeni people to restore their security and stability. The minister hoped that Lebanon would witness an understanding among its people to solve its internal crisis.

In his speech, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the Israeli government is responsible for the deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian territories, warning that the situation there is approaching a phase of explosion.

Aboul Gheit pointed out that there are positive indications from Iran and Turkey to stop their interference in the affairs of Arab countries. He stressed that the Jeddah summit is an opportunity to put an end to armaments in Sudan.

The ministerial preparatory meeting was preceded by several other meetings, the most important of which were the meeting of the Quartet Arab Ministerial Committee concerned with following up the developments of the Iranian file, and the meeting of the Arab Ministerial Committee concerned with following up Turkish interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries. There was also a meeting of the open-ended Arab Ministerial Committee to support the State of Palestine.

Courtesy: Saudi Gazette

Return of Syria to Arab League

According to Reuters, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a pariah for more than a decade, is expected to steal the spotlight at Friday's Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia, where he will rub shoulders with regional leaders who once backed his war foes.

Ostracized by most Arab states following his crackdown on protests against his rule in 2011 and the ensuing civil war, his government's return to the bloc is a signal that his war-battered country's isolation is ending. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others for years supported anti-Assad rebels. But Syria's army, backed by Iran, Russia and paramilitary groups, has regained control of most of the country.

While Arab countries appear to have brought Assad in from the cold, they are still demanding that he curbs Syria's flourishing drugs trade and that war refugees can return. But it remains a striking recovery in the Syrian leader's fortunes.

"This is, indeed, a triumphant moment for Bashar al-Assad, being accepted back into the Arab League, the Arab world, after being shunned and isolated by it for over a decade," said David Lesch, a Middle East History professor at Trinity University in Texas.

Several states, including Qatar and Kuwait, had voiced their opposition to welcoming back Assad. But the summit will underscore how Qatar has scaled back its ambitions to be a major diplomatic player in the region and accept Saudi's preeminent role.

Assad is not the only divisive issue among Arabs. The League is also split over questions ranging from normalization with Israel and how to support the Palestinian cause, the regional roles of Turkey and Iran, and which side to pick in polarized global politics.

Also present in the Red Sea city of Jeddah are envoys for Sudan's warring military factions. That ongoing conflict is expected to dominate discussions. Saudi Arabia has been hosting talks on a ceasefire and humanitarian issues in Sudan for weeks.

The kingdom wants to send a message to the global community that Arabs will work together, said Abdullah Baaboud, the State of Qatar Chair for Islamic Area Studies at Waseda University in Tokyo.

"That also helps it (Riyadh) not only in term of its status within the Middle East but also beyond that when it comes to dealing with international powers, whether it is the United States, Europe or China," Baaboud said.

Washington has been skeptical about Assad's return to the Arab fold. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced a bill last week intended to bar US recognition of Assad as Syria's president and enhance Washington's ability to impose sanctions.

The Syrian crisis and other regional conflicts including Yemen and Libya, pose further challenges for the Arab League, which is often undermined by internal divisions. Arab leaders argue that security is more important than democracy.

"There has been indeed in the past few years a willingness by Saudi Arabia and other regional actors to consolidate a form of authoritarian stability in the region," said Joseph Daher, a professor at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

"Despite continuous rivalries among various states...they hold a common position in wanting to return to a situation similar to that in place before the uprisings in 2011."

This year's summit also comes as Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon struggle with runaway inflation, unemployment and popular anger.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, however, have set a new tone for times of crisis, saying the era of no-strings attached to help that the Gulf states offer others is over.

 

Iran and Russia to facilitate Turkey and Syria in deescalating tension

After years of tensions, the foreign ministers of Turkey and Syria sat at the same table to discuss ways to deescalate tensions with help from Iran and Russia.

On Wednesday, Russia hosted an important quadrilateral meeting between Iran, Syria, Russia, and Turkey at the level of foreign ministers. The meeting was a giant step forward in terms of putting an end to differences between Turkey and Syria, which have been at loggerheads over the last decade. 

While some international issues have also been on the agenda, the Moscow meeting was primarily focused on the normalization of relations between Ankara and Damascus. The diametrically opposed positions of Syria and Turkey since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011 seriously have damaged their relations. With the Syrian government regaining control of much of its lost territory, Turkey moved to patch up relations with Syria with mediation and facilitation by Iran and Russia.

In the Wednesday meeting, this featured high on the agenda. The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that the foreign ministers of the four countries held a substantive and frank discussion on issues related to resuming the interstate relations between Syria and Turkey in various aspects.

The Moscow meeting is another indication that Syria moving past crisis and war, a trend that prompted Turkey and many Arab states to restore ties with Damascus. Earlier this week, Syria was readmitted to the Arab League and Saudi Arabia reopened its diplomatic missions in Damascus. Currently, there are speculations that Syrian President Bashar Assad could take part in the upcoming summit of the Arab League in Saudi Arabia, which has already officially extended an invitation to Assad to participate in the summit. 

Turkey appears to be willing to keep up with this reconciliatory trend. In their meeting, the foreign ministers agreed to task the deputy foreign ministers to prepare a road map to advance the relations between Turkey and Syria in coordination with the work of the ministries of defense and special services of the four countries, according to the Russian statement. 

The statement added that the ministers noted a positive and constructive atmosphere of their exchange during the meeting and agreed to further maintain high-level contacts and technical talks in this quadripartite format in the upcoming period.

The Moscow meeting also provided a convivial atmosphere for the foreign ministers to hold bilateral meetings. The Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian held separate meetings with his Syria, Russian, and Turkish counterparts. 

In his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Amir Abdollahian congratulated him on Syria’s readmission to the Arab League and expressed Iran’s support for the Turkish-Syrian normalization. 

Amir Abdollahian described the Moscow meeting as a step forward in his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The Turkish foreign minister, for his part, pointed to Iran’s important role in facilitating the quadrilateral meeting. 

As things stand, Turkey and Syria are making strides in restoring their ties. The full resumption of ties, however, is hindered by the fact that Turkish troops are illegally present in Syrian territory, thus contravening the Arab country’s territorial integrity. This point was raised in Moscow. 

In his speech at the joint meeting, Amir Abdollahian underlined that any political resolution to the Syrian issues must ensure Syria’s sovereignty over its entire territory, according to IRNA. 

Amir Abdollahian suggested that deployment of Syrian troops at the border regions can alleviate security concerns of Turkey and other neighboring countries, prevent terrorist and separatist activities, and set the stage for the withdrawal of Turkish military forces from the common border areas.

“We believe that a strong and independent Syria can overcome terrorism, separatism, occupation of American forces, and theft of the country's national resources,” he noted.

Iran’s top diplomat also stressed the need for joint efforts by regional countries and the rest of the international community to reconstruct Syria and prepare the ground for Syrian refugees to return to their homeland.

“Of course, any political precondition and double standards on this issue not only will not help solve this humanitarian issue but will also add to its complexity,” he pointed out.

The Iranian foreign minister pointed out that the beginning of talks between Syria and Turkey will benefit the people of the two countries and the security of the region.

“We deeply believe that these two countries can put the past behind them and resolve the bilateral issues through dialogue and deepening cooperation based on good neighborliness,” Amir Abdollahian said.

He also noted that the meeting in Moscow would have a strong message of peace and sustainable security in the region and strengthening of good neighborliness between Turkey and Syria.

 

Arab League readmits Syria

The Arab League readmitted Syria on Sunday after more than a decade of suspension, consolidating a regional push to normalize ties with President Bashar al-Assad in a move criticized by Washington.

The decision said Syria could resume its participation in Arab League meetings immediately, while calling for a resolution of the crisis resulting from Syria's civil war, including the flight of refugees to neighbouring countries and drug smuggling across the region.

While Arab states including the United Arab Emirates have pressed to end Assad's isolation, some have been opposed to full normalization without a political solution to the Syrian conflict, seeking conditions for Syria's return.

Qatar, which had previously opposed Syria's return to the League, said its position on normalization had not changed and it hoped regional consensus on Syria could be a motive for the Syrian regime to address the roots of the crisis, a foreign ministry spokesperson told state news agency QNA.

"The reinstatement of Syria does not mean normalization of relations between Arab countries and Syria," Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters in Cairo. "This is a sovereign decision for each country to make."

Syria called on Arab states to show mutual respect.

A US State Department spokesperson said Washington shared the goals of Arab partners in Syria, including building security and stability, but remained skeptical of Assad's willingness to take the steps necessary to resolve Syria's crisis".

"We do not believe Syria merits readmission into the Arab League at this time," the spokesperson said, adding that US sanctions would remain in full effect.

But Russia, an Assad ally, hailed Syria's readmission.

"Moscow welcomes this long-awaited step, the logical result of the process, which has gained momentum, of returning Syria to the 'Arab family,'" Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry, said in a statement.

 

Saudi Arabia follows Iran in reestablishing ties with Syria

Saudi Arabia and Syria have agreed to reopen their embassies after cutting diplomatic ties more than a decade ago, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, a step that would mark a leap forward in Damascus's return to the Arab fold.

Contacts between Riyadh and Damascus had gathered momentum following a landmark agreement to re-establish ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad.

The re-establishment of ties between Riyadh and Damascus would mark the most significant development yet in moves by Arab states to normalize ties with Assad, who was shunned by many Western and Arab states after Syria's civil war began in 2011.

The two governments were "preparing to reopen embassies after Eid al-Fitr", in the second half of April.

The decision was the result of talks in Saudi Arabia with a senior Syrian intelligence official, according to one of the regional sources and a diplomat in the Gulf.

The apparently sudden breakthrough could indicate how the deal between Tehran and Riyadh may play into other crises in the region, where their rivalry has fuelled conflicts including the war in Syria.

The United States and several of its regional allies, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, had backed some of the Syrian rebels. Assad was able to defeat the insurgency across most of Syria thanks largely to Iran and Russia.

The United States, an ally of Saudi Arabia, has opposed moves by regional countries to normalize ties with Assad, citing his government's brutality during the conflict and the need to see progress towards a political solution.

The United Arab Emirates, another strategic US partner, has led the way in normalizing contacts with Assad, recently receiving him in Abu Dhabi with his wife.

The Gulf diplomat said the high-ranking Syrian intelligence official "stayed for days" in Riyadh and an agreement was struck to reopen embassies "very soon".

Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 in response to Assad's brutal crackdown on protests.

Saudi's foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud earlier this month said engagement with Assad could lead to Syria's return to the Arab League, but it was currently too early to discuss such a step.

The diplomat said the Syrian-Saudi talks could pave the way for a vote to lift Syria's suspension during the next Arab summit, expected to be held in Saudi Arabia in April.

The United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018, arguing Arab countries needed more of a presence in resolving the Syrian conflict.

While Assad has basked in renewed contacts with Arab states that once shunned him, US sanctions remain a major complicating factor for countries seeking to expand commercial ties.

Arab League welcomes UN adoption of resolution on Israeli practices

The Palestinian Presidency has welcomed the UN general assembly adoption by a majority of 87 in favor of a Palestinian draft resolution regarding the Israeli practices marring the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Palestinian territories, considering the latest UN-sponsored development a victory for the world justice and the Arab-Islamic-Internationally-supported Palestinian diplomacy alike.

In a statement, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman of the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, cited the vote as yet another evidence of the support of the world for the Palestinian people and their historic inalienable rights.

It is time to hold the Israeli occupation accountable according to international law for its crimes, said Abu Rudeineh, noting that the Palestinian people firmly believe that imposing international justice is the only way to achieve peace.

For its part, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry drew the attention that resorting to the International Court of Justice comes in line with the Palestinian story based on the international law and the Palestinian people basic rights in confrontation to the Israeli fake story.

It also confirms that all Israeli policies and practices on the occupied Palestinian territories, including the city of Al-Quds are denounced by the world community and according to the international law.

In Cairo, the secretariat general of the Arab League (AL) welcomed the resolutions issued by the UN General Assembly as regards the Palestinian cause, citing, in particular, the one asking the world court to weigh in on Israeli occupation and annexation since 1967, including the city of Al-Quds.

In a statement, Assistant Secretary General for Palestinian and Arab Territories Affairs at the AL Dr. Saeed Abu-Ali said that the UN-sponsored resolution has constituted an important station and platform to confront the Israeli plots, practices and aggression through legal tracks and holding the occupation accountable of its crimes.

He said that the resolution has reflected the will of the world community through scoring victory for the principles of the international law and legitimacy resolutions, including empowering the legal mechanisms to confront the Israeli practices and plots.

Abu-Ali called on the countries that did not support the resolution to review their positions according to the principles of international law, charters and justice in support for fair peace based on the two-state solution.

In Jeddah, the secretariat general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomed the resolutions issued by the UN general assembly as regards the Palestinian cause, citing, in particular, the one asking the world court to weigh in on Israeli occupation and annexation since 1967, including the city of Al-Quds. OIC paid tribute to the countries that supported the resolution.

Oman urges Israel to create Palestinian State

Omani Foreign Minister told his Israeli counterpart he hopes Israel's new government will take concrete steps towards creating an independent Palestinian state, with east Jerusalem as its capital, reported Omani state media said on Thursday.

Oman's Badr al-Busaidi spoke by phone to Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, according to ONA, the state news agency of Oman, which has a longstanding policy of neutrality in the turbulent region and often acts as a mediator.

In February this year, Busaidi said Oman was satisfied with its current relationship with Israel, even after fellow Gulf States the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalized ties with Israel last year under US-brokered accords.

Lapid will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next week in the first official visit by an Israeli minister to the Gulf state since they established diplomatic relations. He will inaugurate the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of Israel in Dubai.

Israel and Oman enjoy bilateral relations. In line with the Arab League position in relation to Israel, Oman does not officially recognize the state of Israel and took part in the boycott of Israel during much of the 20th century.

It may be recalled that in 1994, the two countries established unofficial trade relations, which were discontinued in 2000. In 1994, then-Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin visited Oman, where he was greeted by Sultan of Oman; Qaboos bin Said al Said in Muscat.

Among other things, the two sides discussed issues such as sharing water and how to improve water supplies.

In 1995, a few days after Rabin was assassinated, then-acting Prime Minister Shimon Peres hosted Omani foreign minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah in Jerusalem.

In January 1996, Israel and Oman signed an agreement on the reciprocal opening of trade representative offices.

In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led a delegation to Oman and met with Sultan Qaboos and other senior Omani officials.

In February 2019, Omani foreign minister, Yusuf bin Alawi, said that Oman will not normalize its relations with Israel until a sovereign Palestinian state has been established.

Arab League declares annexation ‘war crime’

Israeli plan to apply sovereignty to any part of the West Bank will end the two-state solution and eliminate the possibility of establishing an independent, sovereign and geographically viable Palestinian state, said Riyad Malki, Foreign Minister of Palestinian Authority.

In a speech before an emergency videoconference meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers, he said if implemented, the Israeli plan would also place al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem under Israeli control “before it is demolished and replaced by the ostensible Temple.”

The meeting was held at the request of the Palestinians to discuss the “dangers” of the Israeli plan.

The Arab ministers condemned the plan as a “new war crime” and “flagrant violation of United Nations resolutions and international law.” They urged the United States to back away from supporting the plan and said the Arab countries will support by all political, diplomatic, legal and financial means any decisions taken by the Palestinians to confront it.

The foreign ministers also called on the Quartet (United States, Russia, European Union and United Nations) to convene an urgent meeting to save the chances of peace and a two-state solution and to take a position consistent with international decisions to compel Israel to “stop implementing its colonial plans, including annexation and settlement expansion.”

Malki warned that if the Israeli plan is implemented, it would “transform the conflict from a political to a religious conflict that will go on forever because the Palestinians would not accept it and won’t accept anything less than the borders of 1967 to establish their state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

The Israeli plan to apply sovereignty to any part of the West Bank “would never guarantee stability, security and peace,” he said.

Malki accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of exploiting the coronavirus pandemic “to pass his decisions to annex large parts of the occupied Palestinian territory to Israel.”

 He also urged the Arab states to provide financial aid to the Palestinians as they face difficult financial conditions “due to the restrictions of the occupation.”

Any Israeli decision to annex parts of the West Bank would not change the status of these lands, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in a speech during the meeting, adding that they will remain “occupied territories in accordance with international law.”

The purpose of Thursday’s meeting was to warn about the “dangers of the Israeli schemes to annex parts of the West Bank and the possible repercussions on regional stability,” he said.