HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) — Residents of Hasakah, northeast Syria, have varied opinions regarding the presence of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the Arab summit that took place on May 19 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Some welcomed it while others raised concerns.
Aziz Suleiman, 40 years old, a resident of al-Salihiya neighborhood in Hasakah city, believes that Syrians – if it is in their interest – will welcome the return of Syria to the Arab League. If not, “we are facing a catastrophe” and Syria will become a rope in a tug of war between Russia and Iran on one hand and the Arab countries on the other.
Suleiman holds that al-Assad lost the bet a long time ago, due to the great destruction and displacement he caused in all Syrian regions.
Al-Assad wants to rehabilitate himself in light of these challenges, he added.
However, Suleiman expressed his optimism about the existence of a political solution, “no matter how long it takes, and everyone is looking forward to this solution.”
The Syrian President travelled to Saudi Arabia himself to mark the country’s triumphant return.
Pro-government media outlets considered the return of the Syrian president to participate in the summit of the League of Arab States, after more than a decade of Arab isolation, as a “victory” for al-Assad.
On May 7, Arab’s foreign ministers agreed at a closed meeting at the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on Syria’s official return to its seat in the Arab League.
In November 2011, eight months after pro-democracy protests began in Syria, the Arab League took the decision to suspend the Syrian government over its brutal response. By 2023, nearly half a million people had been killed in the Syrian Civil War, mostly by the government and its allies.
Salim Ibrahim, a resident of the same neighborhood, pointed out that after Syria’s return to the Arab League, “if the provisions of UN Resolution 2254 are not implemented, this return will be a great support for the regime in its repression and persecution.”
The Arab countries call on the Syrian government to deal with a number of issues, most notably the trading captagon, a drug which the Syrian government-affiliated parties are active in manufacturing and smuggling it. The narcotics business has grown so much, severely affecting several Arab countries, most notably Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
They also called on the government to facilitate the repatriation of millions of Syrian refugees, in addition to engaging in negotiations with the Syrian opposition to reach a political settlement to the Syrian crisis.
Good step
Nayef Hussein, a resident of Mufti neighborhood in Hasakah, believed this return would be “a good step” and welcomed by Syrians “if people’s rights are obtained,” otherwise “the plan” will fail.”
“What made me assert that it is a plan is that not long ago all Arab states were attacking al-Assad, describing him as a butcher, … so why are they supporting him today?” he added.
On May 9, the UN chief expressed hope that Syria’s return to the Arab League could spur progress in resolving the Syrian Civil War.
On the contrary, on May 21, G7 leaders, including US President Joe Biden, rejected normalization with Syria’s government without a “political solution”.