Arab League Foreign Ministers, who met in Cairo Sunday, have agreed to readmit Syria in the League after a suspension of over 10 years, following the country’s civil war.
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Drastic and significant changes are taking place in the Arab world. Diplomacy has recently reached a new level, in favor of easing political and military tensions in the region.
In fact, the 32nd Arab Summit to be held in Saudi Arabia on May 19, comes across new regional equations, mainly political, with the Saudi Iranian rapprochement, the “conditional” return of Syria into the Arab fold, after a decade of suspension and isolation, and the crisis in Sudan. Economic issues will also feature on the Arab summit agenda, as well as topics such as the difficulties encountered by some Arab countries like Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Iraq.
The leading headline is most likely the possibility of a positive breakthrough between Nations. Consultations are ongoing between the Arab League and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to develop the best possible agenda of issues at the forefront of a joint Arab action.
“The Riyadh Summit will focus on two important levels. The first one will be to discuss the most urgent case, which is the war in Sudan”, prominent journalist Ali Hamade told This is Beirut. “The Syrian file will of course be on the agenda, as well as the League’s openness towards the Syrian regime”, he added.
Last Sunday, The Arab League decided to allow Syria’s “conditional” return, after more than a decade of isolation, by adopting a “step-by-step” policy.
The decision, which took immediate effect, was made by Arab Foreign Ministers during their meeting in Cairo.
The Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Decision
Ali Hamade explained that “Syria will not fully return to the Arab League, due to a number of prerequisites imposed on Damascus to further open the doors”. “There is some sort of openness, but it will be gradual”, he added, echoing Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary-General of the Arab League.
Indeed, Aboul Gheit commented on Sunday that “Syria’s return to the Arab League is a start, not a destination, and that this decision does not require any Arab country to normalize relations with Damascus, as this decision is up to each member”.
Friday, Jordan’s Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, estimated that Syria will be able to gather enough votes among the League’s 22 members to regain its seat, but has also acknowledged that its “symbolic return” will involve “a very long and difficult process”.
“It is important to stress that there is an Arab conviction that President Bashar al Assad’s removal is no longer on the agenda. Russia and Iran have succeeded in maintaining him in power”, Hamade analyzed. “Nonetheless, Syria today is nothing like it was back in 2011. There will be no funding for this country if its political issue is not resolved, which explains why Assad is not in a hurry to solve the refugee issue”, he stated.
Sunday, Damascus was specifically told by the Arab Foreign Ministers to allow refugee returns without retribution and to crack down on drugs trade. At the end of the meeting held in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, said: “We are interested in the return of Syrian refugees present in Jordan and in Lebanon in an appropriate manner.”
However, neither the Arab conference nor the Assad regime set a specific timeline for this matter. “Assad maintains the refugee issue as a bargaining chip he can use to support communication with the Arab world”, stressed Ali Hamade. “He’s in no hurry to do so or to fully solve the drug issue, since it is part of the Syrian regime’s, the Revolutionary Guards’, the Faylak al-Quds, and Hezbollah’s main source of funding. Drugs constitute revenues he needs. Damascus is the Columbia of the Middle East”, he noted.
For this reason, Syria’s return will stay partial and conditional as it is merely part of the dynamic initiated at the regional level to ease tensions.
Discussing Lebanon
On another hand, Ali Hamade highlighted the impact that the Summit will undoubtedly have on the Lebanese ongoing political crisis. “The presidency, the formation of a government, and the implementation of reforms will surely be addressed”, he explained.
“Arab countries, headed by Saudi Arabia, sent a clear roadmap to Lebanese officials in January 2022 through the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister with the purpose of putting back Lebanon on the Arab map; by ensuring that Beirut does not become a platform to attack Arab countries, whether in politics, in the media, or through drug trafficking”, he indicated.
Finally, and per Hamade’s estimates, Lebanon will surely request the discussion of the Syrian refugee crisis during the Summit. “The Arab position will be the same as it was stated in the meeting that took place in Oman in early May”, he said. “This led to an agreement from all parties, Syria included, to elaborate a comprehensive political solution and to resolve the refugee crisis by ensuring their safe and voluntary return together with the assistance of Arab countries and the United Nations”, he concluded.
