Gulf-Arab meeting discusses Political Solution to Syrian Crisis
DAMACUS, Syria (North Press) – The General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) confirmed that “a political solution is the only solution to the Syrian crisis.”
On Friday, foreign ministers of GCC countries, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq held a consultative meeting hosted by Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis.
This came after extensive Arab initiatives stressing the need to returning Syria to the Arab incubator after 12 years of estrangement, which included normalization steps between Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Recently, Damascus has witnessed an Arabic openness, especially after the disaster of the Feb. 6 earthquake, which killed thousands and wounded many more, in light of intense talk about ending Syria’s membership suspension in the league.
Since 2011, the Arab League has suspended, in an emergency meeting, Syria’s membership in the League until Syrian government shows compliance in implementing the terms of the Arab peace initiative to find a political solution and settlement in the country.
The meeting stressed, according to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the importance of having “an Arab leadership role in efforts to end the Syrian crisis, and setting up the necessary mechanisms for that.”
The meeting also discussed solutions to end the humanitarian crisis, provide an appropriate environment for aid to reach all regions in Syria, and create the necessary conditions to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees and displaced ones to their areas.
The top diplomats focused on the Syrian issue including combating terrorism and eliminating terrorist organizations, stopping drug smuggling and trafficking, and supporting the preservation of Syria’s sovereignty.