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Conflicts: Assad at Arab League: reunion with old friends

Conflicts: Assad at Arab League: reunion with old friends

A hug with the Saudi crown prince, a chat with Egypt’s president: the meeting is a symbolic gain for Syria’s rulers. Meanwhile, millions continue to suffer under his brutal rule.

It is the next stage of a slow return to the diplomatic stage: after a decade of extensive isolation, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has again taken part in a major international meeting in Saudi Arabia. At the Arab League summit in Jeddah on Friday, Assad spoke of a “historic opportunity” for the entire region.

In the civil war country Syria, meanwhile, hundreds protested against the normalization. The Syrian opposition spoke of “treason” and a “certificate of innocence for a murderer”. Surprisingly, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also took part in the summit.

First row in the group photo

Assad was warmly welcomed by the hosts in Jeddah. Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman greeted him with a hug and a brotherly kiss. Assad walked the purple carpet smiling. Standing in the front row of the group photo, he chatted with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. He also met with Tunisia’s President Kais Saied.

Assad was isolated for a long time after his government cracked down on the population against protests in 2011 and in the civil war that followed. Around 14 million people were displaced during the war and more than 350,000 lost their lives. The ruler is accused of war crimes such as the use of poison gas and barrel bombs, torture and extrajudicial killings. According to the human rights organization SNHR, 15,000 civilians died from torture alone, and 150,000 were arbitrarily arrested.

Power currently cemented

During the civil war, most of the region’s neighbors supported the opposition. In the meantime, however, the view has prevailed that Assad should remain the dominant force in the country. His troops, along with allies, control about two-thirds of Syria. Several countries hope to reduce Iran’s influence in Syria or to clarify questions about the return of Syrian refugees and drug smuggling.

It is not yet known whether Syria’s return to the league is subject to any specific conditions. Syria should resume “its natural role” in the region, according to the final declaration of the summit. This also dealt with conflicts in Sudan, Yemen and between Israelis and Palestinians.

Syrian opposition figure George Sabra said the opposition felt “betrayed”. Assad and his allies Russia and Iran “still killed daily,” Sabra told the German Press Agency. “It’s like they’re proving this killer a certificate of innocence, while the whole world is still demanding him for the crimes committed against the Syrian to bring the people to justice.”

“Betrayal of Victims of Atrocities”

The Syrian activist Wafa Mustafa, who lives in Berlin, spoke of a “betrayal of all Syrians who were victims of the Assad regime’s atrocities”. The normalization is a “message that war criminals will not face consequences for their actions,” she wrote in a guest post for the Guardian. In north-west Syria, hundreds protested against Assad’s participation in the summit.

Surprisingly, the Ukrainian President Zelenskyj also made the trip to the summit – at the same time as Assad, who counts Russia as one of his most important allies, was reinstated. He accused some of the 22 league members of a lack of support for his country in Russia’s war of aggression. “Unfortunately, some in the world and here in your circle turn a blind eye,” Zelenskyj said. After meeting Crown Prince Mohammed, he again offered to mediate, but then only spoke of the “Ukrainian-Russian crisis.” Saudi Arabia has good relations with Moscow.

West continues to isolate Assad

Assad spoke of a “historic opportunity” for the region. “I hope that this summit will mark the beginning of a new phase in Arab solidarity.” Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose country remains opposed to normalization with Syria like Kuwait and Morocco, departed ahead of Assad’s speech.

Talks with the Assad government, against which the EU and the USA have imposed comprehensive sanctions, are taboo for western countries such as the USA and Germany. At the end of November, Assad could also meet western heads of state and government again: he has been invited to the COP28 world climate conference in Dubai, which US President Joe Biden or German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for example, could also attend.

Source: Stern

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