{"id":6828,"date":"2023-05-07T16:37:07","date_gmt":"2023-05-07T15:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=6828"},"modified":"2023-05-07T17:04:45","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T16:04:45","slug":"arab-league-revives-bashar-assads-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/politics\/arab-league-revives-bashar-assads-syria\/2023\/05\/07\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Arab League revives Bashar Assad’s Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"

CAIRO<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> The<\/span> Arab<\/span> League<\/span>\u00a0agreed<\/span> to<\/span> revive<\/span> Syria,<\/span> ending<\/span> a<\/span> 12-year<\/span> ban<\/span> and<\/span> taking<\/span> another<\/span> step<\/span> toward<\/span> reinstating<\/span> Syrian<\/span> President<\/span> Bashar<\/span> al-Assad,<\/span> a<\/span> longtime<\/span> regional<\/span> outcast.<\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Some<\/span> influential<\/span> members<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> alliance<\/span> continue<\/span> to<\/span> oppose<\/span> Syria’s<\/span> reinstatement,<\/span> notably<\/span> Qatar’s<\/span> failure<\/span> to<\/span> send<\/span> its<\/span> foreign<\/span> minister<\/span> to<\/span> Sunday’s<\/span> rally.<\/span> Thirteen<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> twenty-two<\/span> member<\/span> states<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> League<\/span> of<\/span> Nations<\/span> sent<\/span> foreign<\/span> ministers<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> conference<\/span> in<\/span> Cairo.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>This<\/span> decision<\/span> was<\/span> a<\/span> victory<\/span> for<\/span> Damascus,<\/span> if<\/span> largely<\/span> symbolic.<\/span> With<\/span> Western<\/span> sanctions<\/span> continuing<\/span> against<\/span> the<\/span> Assad<\/span> regime,<\/span> a<\/span> return<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Arab<\/span> League<\/span> is<\/span> unlikely<\/span> to<\/span> immediately<\/span> release<\/span> funds<\/span> for<\/span> rebuilding<\/span> the<\/span> war-torn<\/span> country.<\/span> Syria’s<\/span> accession<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Arab<\/span> League<\/span> was<\/span> suspended<\/span> early<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> 2011<\/span> uprising<\/span> against<\/span> the<\/span> Assad<\/span> regime.<\/span> The<\/span> riots<\/span> were<\/span> violently<\/span> suppressed<\/span> and<\/span> soon<\/span> devolved<\/span> into<\/span> civil<\/span> war.<\/span> The<\/span> conflict<\/span> has<\/span> killed<\/span> nearly<\/span> half<\/span> a<\/span> million<\/span> people<\/span> since<\/span> March<\/span> 2011<\/span> and<\/span> displaced<\/span> half<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> pre-war<\/span> population<\/span> of<\/span> 23<\/span> million.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Arab<\/span> League<\/span> Secretary<\/span> General<\/span> Ahmed<\/span> Abul<\/span> Gheit<\/span> said<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> televised<\/span> statement<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> decision<\/span> to<\/span> hand<\/span> over<\/span> Syria<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> organization<\/span> would<\/span> allow<\/span> Assad<\/span> to<\/span> attend<\/span> the<\/span> group’s<\/span> summit<\/span> scheduled<\/span> for<\/span> May<\/span> 19.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Syrian<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Hussein<\/span> Al-Nous<\/span> claimed<\/span> on<\/span> Sunday<\/span> that<\/span> Syria<\/span> had<\/span> been<\/span> the<\/span> victim<\/span> of<\/span> “a<\/span> campaign<\/span> of<\/span> misinformation<\/span> and<\/span> distortion<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> enemy”<\/span> for<\/span> 12<\/span> years.<\/span> He<\/span> said<\/span> Sunday’s<\/span> talks<\/span> reflected<\/span> Syria’s<\/span> “respected<\/span> position”<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> regional<\/span> and<\/span> international<\/span> levels.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Opponents<\/span> of<\/span> Assad<\/span> viewed<\/span> the<\/span> step<\/span> towards<\/span> normalization<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> betrayal.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cArab<\/span> states<\/span> prioritize<\/span> their<\/span> own<\/span> cynical<\/span> realist<\/span> political<\/span> and<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> agendas<\/span> over<\/span> basic<\/span> humanitarianism,\u201d<\/span> said<\/span> Laila<\/span> Kiki,<\/span> executive<\/span> director<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> international<\/span> advocacy<\/span> group<\/span> Syria<\/span> Campaign.<\/span> Stated.<\/span> The<\/span> move<\/span> “barbarously<\/span> betrayed<\/span> tens<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> victims<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> regime’s<\/span> war<\/span> crimes<\/span> and<\/span> gave<\/span> Assad<\/span> the<\/span> green<\/span> light<\/span> to<\/span> continue<\/span> committing<\/span> horrific<\/span> crimes<\/span> with<\/span> impunity,”<\/span> she<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Sunday’s<\/span> decision<\/span> came<\/span> days<\/span> after<\/span> top<\/span> regional<\/span> diplomats<\/span> met<\/span> in<\/span> Jordan<\/span> to<\/span> discuss<\/span> a<\/span> roadmap<\/span> for<\/span> returning<\/span> Syria<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Arab<\/span> fold<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> conflict<\/span> continues<\/span> to<\/span> dwindle.<\/span> A<\/span> summit<\/span> is<\/span> scheduled<\/span> for<\/span> May<\/span> 19<\/span> in<\/span> Saudi<\/span> Arabia.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Arab<\/span> League<\/span> usually<\/span> tries<\/span> to<\/span> reach<\/span> agreements<\/span> by<\/span> consensus,<\/span> but<\/span> sometimes<\/span> opts<\/span> for<\/span> a<\/span> simple<\/span> majority<\/span> vote.<\/span> Sunday’s<\/span> session<\/span> was<\/span> closed<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> public,<\/span> and<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> not<\/span> immediately<\/span> clear<\/span> which<\/span> countries<\/span> were<\/span> opposed.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Sunday’s<\/span> decision<\/span> also<\/span> included<\/span> the<\/span> Arab<\/span> government’s<\/span> commitment<\/span> to<\/span> reach<\/span> a<\/span> political<\/span> settlement<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> conflict,<\/span> in<\/span> line<\/span> with<\/span> UN<\/span> Security<\/span> Council<\/span> Resolution<\/span> 2254.<\/span> Saudi<\/span> Arabia,<\/span> Lebanon,<\/span> Jordan<\/span> and<\/span> Iraq<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> asked<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> league<\/span> to<\/span> follow<\/span> up.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> League<\/span> of<\/span> Nations<\/span> will<\/span> work<\/span> with<\/span> Arab<\/span> countries<\/span> to<\/span> resolve<\/span> the<\/span> “humanitarian,<\/span> security<\/span> and<\/span> political”<\/span> crises<\/span> affecting<\/span> Syria<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> region<\/span> due<\/span> to<\/span> conflicts<\/span> involving<\/span> refugees,<\/span> “threats<\/span> of<\/span> terrorism<\/span> and<\/span> drug<\/span> trafficking”.<\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Many<\/span> observers<\/span> expected<\/span> Syria’s<\/span> imminent<\/span> return<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> organization.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Arab<\/span> reconciliation<\/span> with<\/span> Damascus<\/span> accelerated<\/span> after<\/span> her<\/span> deadly<\/span> February<\/span> 6<\/span> earthquake<\/span> that<\/span> shook<\/span> parts<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> war-torn<\/span> country.<\/span> One<\/span> country<\/span> pushing<\/span> for<\/span> normalization<\/span> is<\/span> Saudi<\/span> Arabia,<\/span> which<\/span> once<\/span> backed<\/span> opposition<\/span> groups<\/span> trying<\/span> to<\/span> overthrow<\/span> the<\/span> Assad<\/span> regime.<\/span> Egypt’s<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Minister<\/span> Samer<\/span> Shoukri<\/span> said<\/span> ahead<\/span> of<\/span> Sunday’s<\/span> meeting<\/span> that<\/span> only<\/span> an<\/span> Arab-led<\/span> “political<\/span> solution<\/span> without<\/span> foreign<\/span> direction”<\/span> could<\/span> end<\/span> the<\/span> ongoing<\/span> conflict.<\/span> The<\/span> various<\/span> stages<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> conflict<\/span> show<\/span> that<\/span> there<\/span> is<\/span> no<\/span> military<\/span> solution<\/span> and<\/span> there<\/span> are<\/span> no<\/span> winners<\/span> or<\/span> losers<\/span> in<\/span> this<\/span> conflict,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Syria’s<\/span> neighbors,<\/span> home<\/span> to<\/span> large<\/span> numbers<\/span> of<\/span> refugees,<\/span> have<\/span> taken<\/span> steps<\/span> to<\/span> resume<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> ties<\/span> with<\/span> Damascus<\/span> as<\/span> Assad<\/span> regained<\/span> control<\/span> of<\/span> most<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> in<\/span> recent<\/span> years,<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> help<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> main<\/span> allies<\/span> Russia<\/span> and<\/span> Iran.<\/span> was<\/span> taught.<\/span> Meanwhile,<\/span> her<\/span> two<\/span> Gulf<\/span> monarchies,<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> Arab<\/span> Emirates<\/span> and<\/span> Bahrain,<\/span> have<\/span> resumed<\/span> ties.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>February<\/span> The<\/span> 6.6<\/span> earthquake<\/span> that<\/span> shook<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> Syria<\/span> became<\/span> the<\/span> catalyst<\/span> for<\/span> further<\/span> normalization<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> Arab<\/span> world.<\/span> China<\/span> helped<\/span> broker<\/span> a<\/span> recent<\/span> rapprochement<\/span> between<\/span> its<\/span> biggest<\/span> rivals<\/span> Saudi<\/span> Arabia<\/span> and<\/span> Iran,<\/span> which<\/span> have<\/span> backed<\/span> opposing<\/span> sides<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Syrian<\/span> conflict.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Jordan<\/span> hosted<\/span> regional<\/span> talks<\/span> last<\/span> week,<\/span> attended<\/span> by<\/span> envoys<\/span> from<\/span> Saudi<\/span> Arabia,<\/span> Iraq,<\/span> Egypt<\/span> and<\/span> Syria.<\/span> They<\/span> agreed<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> framework<\/span> called<\/span> the<\/span> “Jordan<\/span> Initiative”<\/span> to<\/span> slowly<\/span> bring<\/span> Damascus<\/span> back<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> Arab<\/span> fold.<\/span> Amman’s<\/span> top<\/span> diplomat<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> meeting<\/span> was<\/span> “the<\/span> beginning<\/span> of<\/span> an<\/span> Arab-led<\/span> political<\/span> path”<\/span> to<\/span> resolve<\/span> the<\/span> crisis.<\/span> The<\/span> conflict<\/span> in<\/span> Sudan<\/span> is<\/span> also<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> agenda<\/span> as<\/span> Arab<\/span> countries<\/span> seek<\/span> to<\/span> stabilize<\/span> a<\/span> shaky<\/span> ceasefire<\/span> in<\/span> an<\/span> ongoing<\/span> battle<\/span> that<\/span> has<\/span> killed<\/span> hundreds<\/span> in<\/span> recent<\/span> weeks.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CAIRO (AP) – The Arab League\u00a0agreed to revive Syria, ending a 12-year ban and taking another step toward reinstating Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a longtime regional outcast.\u00a0 Some influential members of the alliance continue to oppose Syria’s reinstatement, notably Qatar’s failure to send its foreign minister to Sunday’s rally. Thirteen of his twenty-two member states […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[280,2447,2449,2460],"tags":[4466,4755,4756,4757,4758,4759,4760,4761,4762,4763,487,1936,3915],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/phroia.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6828"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6828"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6835,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6828\/revisions\/6835"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}