CAIRO — The
Arab League on Monday expressed its worry over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and
called for a “diplomatic solution,” as the regional bloc’s members grapple with
conflicting loyalties.
اضافة اعلان
Most Arab countries so far have not come
down on one side or the other in the war.
Middle East and North African
governments are cautious in their response to Russia, a major supplier of the
region’s wheat and weapons.
At the same time, they don’t want to alienate
the
US, which supports Ukraine and is a historic ally of major powers in the
Middle East.
After an extraordinary meeting held on the
fifth day of
Russia’s invasion, the 22-member Cairo-based League issued a
statement reflecting its wish not to offend anyone.
It recalled “the importance of respecting the
principles of international law”, while pleading for “restraint” and a
“diplomatic solution”.
The bloc said its members pledged to
cooperate to ensure the safety of its citizens, mainly students, thousands of
whom are stranded in
Ukraine.
Russia is the world’s top wheat exporter and
Ukraine the fourth, leaving the Middle East and North Africa vulnerable to
potential shortages of the staple food in a region where millions already
struggle to get by.
The Gulf, long aligned with Washington, has
stayed largely silent. On Friday the
UAE joined India and China in abstaining
in voting on a UN Security Council resolution, which Russia vetoed, demanding
the immediate withdrawal of Moscow’s troops from Ukraine.
Syria, which the Arab League suspended in
2011 and whose regime Russia has aided in its years-long civil war, leans
clearly towards
Moscow.
Algeria and Sudan tilt the same way, a reflection of
their military links with Russia and the Soviet Union before it.
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