Syrian President Bashar al-Assad took part in his first Arab League summit in more than a decade on Friday (May 19), marking his return to the Arab diplomatic scene after years of isolation due to the war in Syria. Syria. Regional leaders began their 32nd annual meeting in Saudi Arabia, with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky as a surprise guest, who accused some of them of “turning a blind eye” to the Russian invasion. “We are happy to welcome President Bashar al-Assad to this summit,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman said at the opening of the summit, hoping his country’s reintegration will bring “stability” back to the summit. Syria.
The pan-Arab organization had expelled the Syrian regime at the end of 2011 for its repression of a popular uprising, which degenerated into a devastating war, before reinstating it on May 7. The United Arab Emirates, which had reestablished its ties with Syria in 2018, were particularly active in reintegrating Damascus into the group. The Syrian regime has also benefited from a surge of solidarity after an earthquake which on February 6 devastated large parts of Syria and Turkey. Before the start of the summit, the Syrian president had met in Jeddah with his Tunisian counterpart, Kais Saied, as part of a series of bilateral meetings scheduled on the sidelines of the summit, the official Syrian agency SANA reported.
“Internal disagreements”
The Arab League recently stressed the need to play a “leading role” in order to reach a settlement in Syria. Although the fighting has almost ceased, the war has left around half a million dead, as well as millions of refugees and displaced persons. Syria hopes for the normalization of its relations with the Arab countries, in particular the rich monarchies of the Gulf, to finance its costly reconstruction. Countries like Qatar, which has strongly opposed President Assad since the beginning of the war in Syria, are however very reluctant to approach Damascus. Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad, is attending the summit on Friday.
The summit comes in a context of regional detente, marked by the rapprochement in recent months between the Saudi kingdom and its great regional rival, Iran. Riyadh also recently restored consular services with Damascus. Host of the meeting, Saudi Arabia is also deploying diplomatic efforts to try to find a solution to regional conflicts, such as in Yemen. The wealthy Gulf monarchy has also played a leading role in the evacuation of thousands of civilians from Sudan, the scene of deadly fighting for a month, and welcomes representatives of the belligerents for talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire. fire.
“Honest Look”
In addition to the conflicts in the Middle East, the 32nd summit of the Arab League should address more international subjects, in particular the war in Ukraine. A surprise guest at the summit, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky called on regional leaders to “take an honest look” at the war in his country. “Unfortunately, some countries around the world and here among you turn a blind eye to these illegal prisons and annexations,” he said. Upon his arrival in Jeddah, Volodomyr Zelensky said he would meet separately with the Saudi crown prince and other leaders in the region, which is much less united in its support for Ukraine than its European and American allies. The host country of the summit, Saudi Arabia, has taken a relatively neutral stance on the conflict, playing an unexpected role in September as mediator in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Kiev.
The Arab world’s largest economy and the world’s largest crude oil exporter coordinates its oil policy with Russia, while maintaining close ties with the United States, its long-standing security partner. On the other hand, Bashar al-Assad’s Syria, an ally of Moscow, is one of the five countries to have voted against the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council asking Russia to cease hostilities in Ukraine. Arab League summits have “often been characterized by internal disagreements and indecision”, concludes Torbjorn Soltvedt, of risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft.