Syrian President Assad invited to attend Arab summit in Saudi Arabia

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad, who participated on Wednesday in a preparatory meeting for the summit held by the foreign ministers of Arab countries in Jeddah, said in response to a question by the Lebanese TV channel, Al-Jadeed, that Assad “will come to attend this summit, God willing.”“.

However, al-Assad’s participation in the Jeddah summit does not guarantee progress in reaching a solution to end the war in Syria.

And it was received Al-Assad Wednesday, May 10, 2023 An official invitation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to participate in the Arab summit Which will be held in the city of Jeddah, according to what the Syrian presidency announced, in the first invitation that Damascus has received since the outbreak of the conflict. And the presidency stated that Al-Assad had received “an invitation from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to participate in the thirty-second session of the Arab League Council meeting at the summit level, and Al-Assad received the invitation from the Saudi ambassador to Jordan, Nayef Al-Sudairi.”

In Jeddah, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, expressed his optimism about the “Summit of Renewal and Change.” He told reporters on Wednesday, “Saudi Arabia is witnessing a state of good and promising diplomatic and political activity, and its presidency of the Arab summit will be an active presidency keen on the Arab interest.”“.

reconciliation wave

Diplomatic shifts accelerated in the Arab arena after a sudden Chinese-brokered agreement announced on the tenth of March, which resulted in the resumption of relations that were severed between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Less than two weeks after announcing the resumption of relations, Saudi Arabia said that it had started talks about resuming consular services with Syria. , a close ally of Iran, before announcing its decision to reopen its missions in Syria.

In the statement they issued on May 7, in which they announced the return of Syria to its seat in the League, the Arab foreign ministers affirmed their “keenness to launch an Arab leadership role in efforts to resolve” the Syrian crisis and its repercussions, including refugee crises, drug smuggling, and the “threat of terrorism.”“The meeting also decided to form a ministerial committee that works to continue “direct dialogue with the Syrian government to reach a comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis.”

Al-Miqdad said, in response to a question by Al-Jadeed about “conditions for reconstruction and the return of refugees,” “We did not beg, and we will not do so (…), and we waged a war against terrorism. Anyone who wants help is welcome,” refusing to talk about “conditions.”

The refugee crisis was present in side discussions held by Al-Miqdad with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdullah Bou Habib. Al-Miqdad said, according to statements reported by the official Syrian News Agency, SANA, “We stressed that the Syrian refugees must return to their homeland, and this return needs capabilities.” About 5.5 million registered Syrian refugees live in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, according to the United Nations. United.

In a telephone conversation with Radio Monte Carlo International, Kuwaiti political analyst Hussein Jamal said that there is a great welcome from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries for the reconciliation steps in the region, because the Arab countries are dispersed and unable to unite their ranks because of what happened during the past ten years.

“Jamal” added that there is a state of dissatisfaction with the continued tension in the region, so the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is leading what can be called the stage of settlements and calm and the start of a new stage of building states and their economies, and not entering into security, military and political disputes.

Damascus’ membership in the League of Arab States was suspended in response to its suppression of the popular protests that took to the streets in 2011 before turning into a bloody conflict that claimed the lives of more than half a million people..

A shift in Saudi politics

Two major crises, Yemen and Sudan, are expected to top the agenda of the summit: As for Yemen, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Muhammad Al Jaber, said in an interview with AFP that the parties to the conflict in Yemen are “serious” about ending the devastating war, but it is difficult to predict when direct talks will take place with them. Houthis.

The Arab summit will be held at the level of leaders in Jeddah, where representatives of the two Sudanese parties have been negotiating for about ten days, under the auspices of American and Saudi officials. Last week, the two parties to the conflict in Sudan reached a “humanitarian” agreement to pass humanitarian aid and ensure the exit of civilians from conflict areas, but they were unable to reach. to a truce, during negotiations described by an American official as “very difficult”.

>> Read also: The League of Arab States holds its annual summit on May 19 in the Saudi capital, Riyadh

Saudi Arabia is also pushing for a peace agreement in Yemen between the Houthis and the government it supports at the head of a military coalition that has been participating in military operations since 2015..

Regarding Yemen, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Muhammad Al Jaber, said in a recent interview with AFP that the parties to the conflict in Yemen are “serious” about ending the devastating war, but it is difficult to predict when direct talks will take place with the Houthis..

Torbjorn Soltvedt of consultancy Versk Maplecroft said there was little skepticism about Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic approach to the summit and its aftermath, citing “clear signs” that Saudi Arabia is moving away from its previously adventurous foreign policy and seeking to reinvent itself as a key diplomatic broker in the region, but he added. The verdict is still out on whether this mission will succeed.