League of Arab States to discuss Syria's return on May 7
A special meeting of the ِArab League's foreign ministers will take place on May 7 to discuss Syria's return, as Kuwait and the UAE become SCO dialogue partners.
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Syria's foreign minister Faisal Mekdad at the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2021. (AFP)
The decision on Syria's readmission to the League of Arab States (LAS) may be taken during an emergency meeting of the organization's foreign ministers on May 7, Gamal Rushdie, a spokesperson for the LAS secretary general told Sputnik.
"The decision [on Syria's readmission to the LAS] may be made. This matter is under consideration. The decision may be made tomorrow … all members [of the organization] will be taking part in the ministerial meeting," Rushdie responded when asked if the meeting might decide on the readmission of Syria.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi revealed on Friday that Syria should soon be able to return to the Arab League, but many challenges lie ahead in resolving the country's crisis.
Safadi told CNN that Syria had enough votes among the League's 22 members to regain its seat.
The Jordanian minister considered that Syria's willingness to make real progress in resolving the crisis will help it win crucial Arab support to push for an eventual end to Western sanctions, which are a major obstacle to starting major reconstruction efforts.
In the same context, Reuters cited a spokesperson for the Arab League as saying on Thursday that Arab ministers will meet in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the Syrian crisis, amid the regional push to normalize ties with Damascus.
Read more: Algiers: Syria can't be isolated from its Arab Milieu
UAE, Kuwait, admitted as SCO dialogue partners
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been formally designated as a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), according to Emirates national news agency WAM on Saturday.
The UAE was granted the status on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, which took place in India's Goa from May 4-5, the report said.
UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, commended the role the organization had played in upholding stability and prosperity in Eurasia and beyond in recent decades, WAM reported.
Kuwait also signed an agreement on Saturday to become an SCO dialogue partner.
In a statement to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Kuwait's Ambassador in New Delhi Jassim Al-Najem stated that Kuwait's membership in the SCO as a dialogue partner is the first step toward full membership in the organization in the future.
This step is consistent with Kuwait's core foreign policy objectives, since trade, economic cooperation, global supply chain security, and food and energy security are all priorities for the country.
He emphasized that the addition of several Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations as dialogue partners to the SCO reflects the organization's rising prominence. Kuwait's membership in the SCO will allow it to play a larger role in strengthening Asian cooperation.
The United States does not currently think that Syria merits readmission to the League of Arab States, Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, said last month.
"We do not believe that Syria merits readmission to the Arab League at this time," Patel told a press briefing. The US will not normalize relations with Damascus absent "authentic progress" toward a solution to the ongoing war, Patel said.
