Syria refuses to return to the Arab League before diplomatic disputes in the region are resolved
Syria’s return to the Arab League will be “almost impossible before the correction of bilateral relations”, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said when asked about the possibility of Syria returning to the pan-Arab organization.
Faisal Mekdad told Algeria International Television that his recent visits to Arab countries are aimed at opening a new page in diplomatic relations.
“The Arab League exists, but after that the differences will remain within the Arab League,” Mekdad said.
Syrian rejection
“Syria has always believed in working with the Arab League on joint cooperation that would unify the Arab position on a number of issues, but Syria cannot accept being in a position where it is responsible for the differences between the Arab world,” Mekdad said, according to The National.
“Therefore, if Syria’s accession to the Arab League helps unify the regional position, Syria does not mind,” he added.
According to The International Magazine, Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 in protest of the government of President Bashar al-Assad’s response to demonstrations in the country. After the series of restored relations, Saudi Arabia is hosting a meeting of the foreign ministers of Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and the Gulf Cooperation Council states to discuss Syria’s return to the Arab League in Jeddah.
Tunisian President Kais Saied said earlier this month that Tunisia is expected to officially lift its diplomatic representation in Syria and appoint an ambassador to Damascus.
A group of regional leaders meeting in Saudi Arabia on Saturday pledged to continue talks to reach a political solution to the Syrian conflict but stopped short of backing their return to the Arab League, where top diplomats from the Gulf states, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq will take part.
“Days before the regional meeting in Saudi Arabia, Mekdad also paid an official visit to Jeddah, the first trip of its kind by a Syrian government official since 2011, and although the 22-nation Arab League takes its decisions by a simple majority, a unanimous vote is what the kingdom hopes for as it hosts the organization’s next summit in Riyadh on 19 May, the magazine said.”
