KSA Pushing to bring back Damascus into Arab League - reports

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Apr 2023 22:59
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Qatar and Kuwait remain opposed to the prospect of reinstating Syria as a member state, but their resistance is expected to dissolve in light of Saudi pressure.

The chair of the Syrian Arab Republic empty at the opening session of the Arab foreign ministers meeting in Beirut (AP)

Saudi Arabia is reportedly pioneering Arab efforts to reinstate Syria as a member of the Arab League, according to US media.

There is still no consensus in regards to readmitting Syria into the League, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE are trying to convince member states to reconsider Syria’s suspension, Bloomberg reported citing 4 sources close to KSA and the UAE.

It was speculated that Syria would be reassuming its seat by May in time for the summit in Riyadh, but it was also reported that there’s a risk that this initiative would fail or be delayed.

Qatar and Kuwait remain opposed to the prospect of reinstating Syria as a member state, but their resistance is expected to dissolve in light of Saudi pressure.

Furthermore, Qatar who was one of the main sponsors of the Syrian opposition, second to Turkey, is likely to slacken its resistance to the initiative in light of recent talks about the normalization of relations between Syria and Turkey.

Also, the United States, according to Bloomberg, is well aware of the initiative and has warned Arab states against it, but is unlikely to change the Arab countries' trend of embracing Damascus into the Arab fold now that its grip over its Middle Eastern client states is loosening.

Especially in light of the landmark agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Beijing which effectively ended the two countries' decades-old rivalry.

Several Arab countries have expressed optimism for Syria’s return to the Arab League.

Earlier this week, Tunisian President Kais Saied issued directives in regard to re-establishing ties with Syria by appointing an ambassador to Damascus.

In late March, it was reported that President Al-Assad might be invited by Saudi Arabia to the Arab League summit that is due to be hosted in Riyadh on May 19.

After the devastating earthquake which struck Syria, several Arab countries rushed to Syria's aid. At the time, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called his Syrian counterpart in unprecedented support since El-Sisi took office in 2014.

Last week, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Cairo in which the two discussed means of supporting the Syrian people and restoring the country's unity and sovereignty over its whole territories.