Consensus is building up among Arab countries over reinstating
Syria’s membership in the Arab League after more than a decade of civil war
that has ravaged the country while pushing for an Arab solution to the crisis
that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.
اضافة اعلان
The UN,
as well as Russia, has given up on bringing the regime
and the opposition together in a bid to end the civil war and reunite the
country. Moscow blames the US and Europe.
On the other hand, the opposition is in disarray and is
fragmented having lost its bearings while jihadist groups control territory and
refuse to negotiate with Damascus.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have recalibrated their foreign policy
stances on a number of key issues; from ties to Russia and China to
normalizing relations with Tehran and on Syria.
The
recent rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran through
Chinese mediation has been described as a historic diplomatic breakthrough that
promises to pave the way for reaching political settlements in Yemen and Syria.
But whether it is ready to talk to the opposition, adopt a new constitution and embrace a political road map remains to be seen.
Last week Saudi Arabia and Syria agreed to reopen embassies in
their respective capitals. Assad paid a second visit to Abu Dhabi recently and
was also received in Muscat.
The devastating earthquake that hit Syria has allowed for a thaw
in ties with Syria’s neighbors. The foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt
visited Damascus, separately, and met with President Assad. Jordan’s Foreign
Minister Ayman Safadi spoke of a Jordanian initiative to end the crisis in
Syria.
That initiative has the support of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and
Egypt. And more importantly, last week Qatar announced that it is supporting
Jordanian efforts in Syria under certain conditions.
Reconnect with SyriaThe initial move to reconnect with Syria began when King
Abdullah suggested to the Biden administration, while visiting Washington in
2021, that President Assad remains the legitimate leader of his country.
The recent rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran through Chinese mediation has been described as a historic diplomatic breakthrough that promises to pave the way for reaching political settlements in Yemen and Syria.
He also said that the West should talk to the Russians, who play
a “vital role,” adding that the current status quo, where there is ongoing
violence and the Syrian people pay the price, cannot continue.
While the US never endorsed the King’s efforts in public, it did
allow for a plan to supply Lebanon with electricity from Jordan through Syria.
This coincided with Amman and Damascus moving closer to each other and
reopening their borders.
But the outbreak of the war in Ukraine has dampened efforts to
bring the West and Russia, the latter being a key player in Syria, on board the
Jordanian initiative.
Now more than a year after the Ukraine war, Jordan is mobilizing
its diplomatic contacts to kick-start some sort of a diplomatic process based
on UN resolutions on Syria and in coordination with Egypt, Qatar, Iraq,
Algeria, and the UAE. Such momentum is expected to pick up ahead of the Arab
League’s summit, which will be held in Riyadh in May.
Back in the Arab foldBut reinstating Syria’s membership in the Arab League is one thing
while adopting a road map to resolve the Syrian crisis is another. Damascus
sees ending US and Turkish “occupation” of its territory as priority, while
Arab countries hope to entice Assad to distance himself from Iran in return for
lucrative reconstruction deals and removing most sanctions.
The US is likely to support Jordan’s overtures as far as they meet the Kingdom’s security concerns along its northern borders with Syria.
The US is likely to support Jordan’s overtures as far as they
meet the Kingdom’s security concerns along its northern borders with Syria.
Jordan has been waging a vicious war against drug smuggling from Syria which it
claims is connected to Hezbollah.
Jordan and Israel do not want to
see pro-Iran militias poised so
close to their borders. In addition Jordan’s economy needs access to Syria and
beyond as it works to recover from the impact of the coronavirus closures.
Damascus is yet to comment on the Jordanian initiative. So far
it has welcomed Arab visits that have ended its diplomatic isolation. But
whether it is ready to talk to the opposition, adopt a new constitution and
embrace a political road map remains to be seen.
Osama Al Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based
in Amman
This article was previously published on Gulf News.
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