Saudi Arabia does not rule out Syria’s return to the Arab League
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud did not rule out Tuesday Syria’s return to the Arab League after more than a decade of isolation. This indicates that the Kingdom, which had taken a tough stance on the return of Damascus to its Arab surroundings, has recently begun to ease its tone significantly in this regard.
On the other hand, the Saudi minister confirmed that it is premature to discuss such a step at the present time, which indicates that there are obstacles to a quick return to Damascus, especially with the rejection of a number of countries, especially the State of Qatar.
The Saudi minister reiterated that there is a growing consensus in the Arab world that isolating Syria is not working and that dialog with Damascus is necessary, especially to address the humanitarian situation there, especially after the devastating earthquake that struck the country.
“Dialog to address these concerns is essential,” he told reporters in London. This could eventually lead to Syria’s return to the Arab League and so on. But for now I think it’s too early to discuss this.”
Syria is largely cut off from the rest of the Arab world following a bloody crackdown by President Bashar al-Assad on anti-government protests in 2011.
The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in 2011 and many Arab countries withdrew their envoys from Damascus.
“But Assad has benefited from an influx of support from Arab states following the devastating earthquake on February 6, which claimed the lives of thousands of Syrians, including aid sent by Riyadh as a sign of thaw in relations between the two countries.”
On the other hand, Doha rejects the efforts of some Arab countries to end Syria’s isolation. It condemned what it considered as the politicization and exploitation by Damascus of the aid package for earthquake victims in opposition-controlled areas, a position that clearly reflects Qatar’s rejection of efforts to dismantle the isolation of the Syrian regime.
Qatar accuses Assad of committing war crimes against his people and has demanded a political settlement to the crisis to include the armed opposition.
“Algeria hosted the first Arab summit since before the COVID-19 pandemic in November, but Damascus did not participate after the host country failed to persuade other Arab states to end Syria’s suspension.”
Saudi Arabia will host the Arab summit this year. Asked whether Syria would be invited to the summit, Prince Faisal said: “I think it is too early to talk about that.”
“But I can say… that there is consensus in the Arab world and the current situation cannot continue,” he said. That means we have to find a way to get around it.”
Arab parliamentary delegations from the Arab Parliamentary Union recently visited the Syrian capital before Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri visited Damascus, where he met with Syrian officials headed by President Bashar al-Assad.
The Saudi foreign minister spoke of the relationship with Iran, saying that they are “open to dialog with Iran.” It seems that Riyadh is still open to any real settlement, despite the recent Iranian escalation.
“The nuclear agreement with Iran is not perfect, and it must address the concerns of neighboring countries,” he stressed.
Since April 2021, Tehran and Riyadh have been engaged in negotiations mediated by Baghdad to restore diplomatic relations, which have not yet resulted in normalization, amid disagreements over the nuclear and Yemeni issues.
“Diplomats from Iran, the United States, and five other countries have been negotiating for months in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on a deal to reimpose restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions reimposed by former US President Donald Trump after Washington withdrew from the deal in May 2018.”
Regarding Riyadh’s relations with Washington and Beijing, the Saudi minister said, “The Kingdom has very good relations with the White House, and China is one of our biggest trade allies, as it is with the rest of the world.”
Last December, Riyadh hosted a Chinese-Gulf-Arab summit in the presence of President Xi Jinping. The summit came about three months after another American-Arab summit in which President Joe Biden participated, before being followed by contrasts and criticisms between Washington and Riyadh regarding oil production and prices.
Referring to the developments in Palestine, the Saudi foreign minister said “our position is clear on the Palestinian issue, which is the stability and security of the Palestinians.”
“There is a possibility of more violence if the Palestinian question is not resolved,” he warned.
“Since the beginning of 2023, clashes have escalated in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, killing 74 Palestinians and 14 Israelis in separate operations.”
