Syria and Sudan top unusual meetings of Arab foreign ministers
The Arab League is set to hold two extraordinary meetings in Cairo on Sunday at the level of foreign ministers to discuss the war in Sudan and Syria’s return to the Arab League, a senior diplomat said, as the two issues are at the forefront of concerns in the Arab region.
“It has been decided to hold two extraordinary sessions of the Arab League Council at the level of Arab foreign ministers on Sunday,” the diplomat said on condition of anonymity. The first session will discuss developments in the Syrian crisis and the issue of Syria’s reappointment to its seat at the Arab League, while the second will discuss the ongoing war in Sudan.
The meeting will discuss the situation in Sudan “in all its dimensions – political, security, humanitarian, social and economic,” the source said.
“Preparatory meetings at the level of permanent delegates will be held on Saturday at the headquarters of the general secretariat of the Arab League to prepare for these extraordinary ministerial sessions,” the source said.
A closed-door meeting of Arab foreign ministers will be held before the extraordinary sessions, the source added.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Arab League, will chair the meetings.
Sudan has been plunged into chaos since fighting erupted on April 15 between the army led by General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemeti.
“Fighting in Khartoum and other areas, particularly in Darfur (west), has left at least 550 people dead and 4,926 wounded, according to official health ministry data, which is believed to be much lower than the reality.”
The Syrian issue has recently become the focus of several meetings, while Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Syria’s return to the Arab League during the upcoming summit in Saudi Arabia is “very probable”, Russia Today reported.
He stressed that the matter should be done in stages, adding that the return of the vacant seat to Syria “begins with a meeting, a discussion, then consensus among the member states of the Arab League, after which an invitation will be presented to Syria.”
“In this case, Syria will come and take part in any other ministerial meeting and will return to all the activities of the Arab League,” he said.
Aboul Gheit expressed optimism about the return of Syria through the latest moves, saying, “From the activities and contacts I have observed and the momentum I see, the return of Syria is a very likely outcome.”
“On Monday, the foreign ministers of Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt held a consultative meeting in Amman to discuss the return of Syrian refugees from neighboring countries and the extension of Syrian control over their territory.”
In mid-April, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) met in Jeddah with Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan to discuss Syria’s return to the Arab League.
Days after the Jeddah meeting, the Saudi Foreign Minister visited Damascus, in the first Saudi official visit to Syria since the two countries broke off relations at the start of the Syrian conflict 12 years ago.
Several Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, closed their embassies and withdrew their ambassadors from Syria in protest at the Syrian regime’s handling of a “popular uprising” in 2011 that escalated into a conflict in which Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries supported Syrian opposition factions.
The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in November 2011.
Over the past two years, however, there have been signs of rapprochement between Damascus and several capitals, including Abu Dhabi, which has restored diplomatic ties, and Riyadh, which has held talks with Damascus on resuming consular services between the two countries.
