US State Department slams Arab League normalization
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On his first day in office, Matthew Miller, the new US State Department spokesperson, said his government would continue to oppose normalization with the government of Bashar al-Assad, but urged allied Arab states to get concessions if they do.
A number of traditional US allies in the region – including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan – have pushed ahead with rapprochement with Damascus. Al-Assad retook his country’s seat at the Arab League on May 19.
“We do not believe it was appropriate to admit – readmit – Syria into the Arab League and we made that position clear to our partners in the region,” Miller said in response to a journalist’s question.
“That said,” he continued, “if those countries are to continue to engage or to resume engagement with Syria, we think it’s important that they demand progress on a number of areas where we have concerns with Syria’s behavior and where we understand they have concerns with Syria’s behavior.”
The spokesperson mentioned the trade in captagon, a drug, and “humanitarian issues in the region” as US points of interest.
On May 21, G7 leaders, including US President Joe Biden, rejected normalization with Syria’s government without a “political solution”.
“We remain committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS,” a G7 statement added, “including durable solutions for ISIS detainees and displaced persons remaining in Northeast Syria.”