How the world reacted to Assad’s Arab League return
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – After a 12-year hiatus, the Syrian government is set to retake its seat at the Arab League for the coming Riyadh summit on May 19. 13 (of 21) League members voted unanimously to readmit Syria on May 7.
A number of regional powers, such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, the UAE, and Oman had called for countries to restore their ties with Syria. With few exceptions, diplomatic ties with the Syrian government were cut as it cracked down on protestors in 2011 and 2012. North Press previously covered interested parties’ positions on rapprochement with Syria.
Little changed over the weekend. The UAE and Saudi Arabia favoured the moved. A diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president tweeted that Syria’s readmission was “a positive step” and that “the UAE believes in the necessity of building bridges and maximising partnerships to ensure regional prosperity and stability,” Al-Jazeera reports.
According to the same news site, “a Jordanian official said Syria would need to show it is serious about reaching a political solution because this would be a condition to lobby for the lifting of Western sanctions, a crucial step for funding reconstruction in Syria.”
Qatar, a staunch opponent of normalization with al-Assad, has remained critical. A spokesperson for the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Qatar’s position “had not changed,” adding that it would nonetheless support the “Arab consensus and will not be an obstacle to that.”
Iran, a long-time ally of the al-Assad government, said it “welcomes Syria’s success in regaining its place in Arab League,” according to a tweet by the country’s foreign ministry. It added that “settling difference among Islamic countries & convergence & synergy among them positively affects stability & inclusive peace & paves the way for reduction in expedient foreign interventions in regional & the [Islamic Republic] of Iran welcomes such an approach.”
The foreign ministry of Russia, which has supported Damascus for the past 12 years, similarly wrote, “Moscow welcomes this long-awaited step, the logical result of the process, which has gained momentum, of returning Syria to the ‘Arab family’.”
China, which recently entered Middle East politics by brokering a peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran, also approved of the recent development. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin congratulated all parties, saying “We believe this is conducive to the strength and unity of Arab states, the development and revitalization of the Arab world and peace and stability in the Middle East. This serves the long-term interests of Arab states.”
According to a government press release, the spokesperson added that China has always supported Arab states in seeking strength through unity, and actively supported Syria in returning to the Arab League. “China has actively engaged various parties through our own channels.”
The United States was less enthused. The State Department stated that it understood “our partners’ intend to use direct engagement with the Assad regime to further push for and demand progress … While we are skeptical of Assad’s willingness to take the steps necessary to resolve Syria’s crisis, we are aligned with our Arab partners on the ultimate objectives.” Before the Arab League vote, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had reportedly cautioned Egypt and Jordan against normalizing their relationships with al-Assad.
The European Union (EU) reacted with equal dismissal. A spokesperson said that rapprochement was currently out of the question, and that the existing relationship with Damascus, including EU sanctions, remained in place. Any normalization, he added, would be based on significant political reform in Syria, Deutsche Welle reports.
The German foreign ministry says that it previously pleaded with Arab League members to only readmit Syria in exchange for “meaningful concessions”. The lack of any such concessions meant the German government would not seek closer ties with Damascus, help in the reconstruction of the country, lift sanctions, or send Syrians in Germany back.
Reporting by Sasha Hoffman