Algeria’s Arab Summit calls for solution in Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – As previous ones, Syrian issue dominated speeches made by participants and the concluding statement of the Arab League Summit which was held over two days in Algeria.
However, the difference between the 31st summit and the previous ones is its focus largely on the political solution in Syria and the call for dialogue and recession in discourse against Damascus though seat remains vacant over the crisis that has swept the country since 2011.
This was shared by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in a statement released yesterday while the Syrian government has not yet made any commentary.
This is the ninth Arab League Summit as Damascus remains not invited which was preceded by endless debate on the rightness of Syria to attend the Algerian summit as a number of countries – notably Qatar – made reservations on the issue.
Algerian Minister of Foreign Affair Ramtane Lamamra considered the return of Syria to assume its seat in the Arab League “is normal and will be achieved”.
In a press conference with Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League following the conclusion of the summit, Lamamra said, “The return of Syria to the Arab League or rather taking its seat anew, I do want to say return, rather taking [by Syria] of its seat is a normal issue that will be achieved.”
Aboul Gheit said, “There were important discussions about Syria during the summit though it did not take part.”
Algeria and Egypt encouraged the return of Syria to take its seat. The Syrian flag seemed fluttering on Algeria’s streets in the preparation for the summit.
In a paragraph specified to the situation in Syria, the concluding statement emphasized the collective role by Arab states in contributing to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria that could preserve its unity.
The content of such a paragraph was not different from the position undertaken by AANES before the statement was released, the AANES statement expressed “readiness to dialogue with all national powers to find a political solution that guarantees stability and unity of Syria.”
The AANES called for a “conciliatory political solution that guarantees rights of all Syrians constitutionally after elven years of war, destruction and interferences far away from insistence by the Syrian regime in dealing with the Syrian situation as if nothing had happened.”
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the SDF defeated ISIS militarily there.
However, while Damascus has not commented yet on what was discussed in the summit regarding the crisis in Syria and calls for finding a political solution, the state-run SANA news agency quoted Lamamra’s statement as saying, “Syria has always been in the hearts of the Algerians, and the Algerian people have always expressed sympathy and solidarity with the brotherly Syrian people who have always supported Algeria in times of ordeal.”