Syria’s regional policy ought to be grounded in respecting the national and security interests of other Arab states, particularly the Gulf states. It is in Syria’s interest if its foreign policy is based on pursuing diplomacy, dialogue and common interests to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relationships with the countries of the region.  

Gulf states can play a critical role in helping to resolve Syria’s crisis. Several recent developments show that the Syrian people could also begin to experience more stability, security and economic development. 

For example, the Arab League recently readmitted Syria, which ended a more than decade-long suspension. According to the Saudi Foreign Ministry, the Arab League foreign ministers “consulted and exchanged views on the efforts made to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that ends its repercussions and preserves Syria’s unity, security, stability, and Arab identity; returns it to its Arab surroundings, to achieve the good of its brotherly people.”  

Other important developments include the phone call between UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Syrian President Bashar Assad on bilateral ties between the two nations. In addition, Saudi Arabia has made an important decision to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Syria. 

Syria’s readmission to the Arab League, in addition to the latest diplomatic rapprochements between Damascus and the Gulf states, is most likely going to be just the start of a long process that will hopefully help to resolve the crisis in the country. This goal was also acknowledged by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. 

The Arab League, a 22-member organization founded in 1945, can play a critical role in discussing and resolving Syria’s underlying problems, as the organization is one of the most influential and powerful intergovernmental bodies in the world.  

It was established with the purpose of strengthening relations between Arab states, safeguarding their sovereignty and addressing general concerns about the affairs and interests of member nations.  

The Arab League’s primary role is to coordinate the political, cultural, economic and social programs of its members, as well as to mediate disputes between them. 

In addition, the Arab League is a key international player that has the capability to pave the way for tremendous social, economic and political changes. It can also push for specific measures and policies to be considered by other international organizations. For instance, the Arab League has successfully urged the UN to adopt resolutions that have had significant positive impacts on regional peace and security.  

However, it is critical to note that Syria’s crisis is multifaceted and complex. The economy is crippled after years of conflict, which has inflicted an unimaginable degree of devastation. Syria’s gross domestic product has more than halved and its currency has lost a significant portion of its value, leading the World Bank to rank it as a low-income country.  

Damascus needs to make it a priority to improve its economy and, more importantly, the living standards of its people. 

Prior to 2011, when Syria’s economic and political relationships with the Gulf states were amicable, its economy was improving thanks to these bilateral ties and tourism. 

But after the civil war began, sanctions on the regime changed the situation and left Syria with “a limited national budget to subsidize commodities such as bread and fuel … Displaced families and other vulnerable households are caught in the middle of a financial crisis caused by a rapidly depreciating currency and lack of available jobs. This means it is incredibly hard for Syrian families to provide for themselves, particularly amid growing food insecurity. Reports … describe families waiting for hours in bread lines, causing children to miss school or caregivers to miss work in order to find loaves of bread,” according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

The second issue is related to enhancing the security of the country in a way that ensures safety and stability for the Syrian people, protecting them from the threats posed by militia and terror groups. 

The Gulf states are skilled in adopting modern counterterrorism strategies and in establishing institutions that promote an alternative and moderate ideology, while educating and raising awareness about extremist ideologies online. Examples include Saudi Arabia’s setting up of the Ideological Warfare Center, the Digital Extremism Observatory, the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue and the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. The Kingdom aims to challenge the messages of extremist groups through these initiatives. 

If Syria’s economic crisis is adequately addressed, security will likely be enhanced in the country as well.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh

If Syria’s economic crisis is adequately addressed, security will likely be enhanced in the country as well, due to the fact that poverty and conflict-stricken states can often be ripe places for terror and militia groups to grow, gain power and inflict damage on the country and broader region.  

Finally, the largest refugee crisis in the world belongs to Syria. This has impacted neighboring countries economically and politically. By addressing the nation’s security and economic issues, the refugee crisis will gradually see signs of improvement as well.  

Syria’s crisis is deep and complex, but the region can play a key role in resolving it. The latest diplomatic initiatives between Damascus and the Gulf states have the potential to bring more stability, safety, security and economic development to the Syrian people. This requires that the Syrian government seize the opportunity by respecting the national and security interests of the Gulf states, while grounding its foreign policy in diplomacy, dialogue and shared interests.  

By  Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh 

L’article Analysis. Syria needs Gulf states for stability and security est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Syria is back in the influential Arab League, more than a decade after being thrown out for its brutal repression of pro-democracy protests, which led to the ongoing civil war.

The move is further evidence of a thaw in relations between Damascus and other Arab governments.

Syria’s readmittance was approved at a meeting of League members in Egypt.

It comes ahead of a summit in Saudi Arabia later this month that President Bashar al-Assad may now attend.

In a statement, Syria’s foreign ministry said it had received the League’s decision « with great attention » and called for « greater Arab cooperation and partnership ».

Foreign ministers from 13 of the 22-nation group’s members were present when the decision to readmit Syria was taken.

They stressed the need to end Syria’s civil war and the resulting refugee and drug smuggling crises. Growing poverty and lack of job opportunities saw many turn to the drug trade, the BBC reported last year.

A committee involving Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq will be set up to help Syria achieve those goals.

The Arab League’s secretary general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said the move was the start of a process to resolve the crisis in Syria, which would be « gradual ».

He stressed the decision did not mean a resumption of relationships between Arab states and Syria as it was up to each country to decide this individually.

More than 300,000 civilians are thought to have been killed and more than 100,000 detained or disappeared during the civil war, according to UN estimates.

Roughly half of the pre-war population of 21 million has been displaced, either within Syria or as refugees abroad.

Mr Assad began to regain control over the country in 2015, with the help of Russia – forcing its neighbours to think of a future with Mr Assad in place.

Arab moves to restore ties accelerated after the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria in February.

Earlier this week, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Mr Assad – with some analysts suggesting the visit put extra pressure on Arab nations to bring Syria back into the fold.

It follows visits by foreign ministers from Egypt and Saudi Arabia and the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Tunisia.

Syria’s foreign minister has also recently visited several Arab countries as part of a diplomatic push.

The US and UK are among the Western countries that have recently stated they will not restore relations with President Assad’s government.

World Opinions + BBC News

L’article Arab League: Syria reinstated as Assad rehabilitation continues est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, condemned Israeli action at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in a press conference on Wednesday, saying it is the “exclusive right of the Palestinian Muslims” to practise their religious traditions there.

“It is the right of the Palestinian Muslim worshippers to exercise their religious duties and prayers in this holy month of Ramadan and in any other time in this holy Aqsa Mosque,” Mansour said.

“The Israeli occupying authority has no right whatsoever to tell people when to pray and when not to pray.”

Arab League holds emergency meeting, condemns Israeli action

The Arab League – a regional organisation of 22 member countries – is holding an emergency meeting on the raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Hossam Zaki, the league’s assistant secretary general, told Al Jazeera: “We lay the blame totally and squarely on the Israeli government.”

“We are going to work, politically and diplomatically, to expose what Israel has been doing,” he continued.

“It’s not that we need another excuse from the Israeli occupation forces to storm in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They never run out of excuses. They always tell you that there will be youth barricading, amassing guns and so on. We’ve heard it so many times. It is almost irrelevant at this point. This is a government that is bent on harming the Palestinian population.”

Raids on Al-Aqsa ‘a serious provocation’

Mustafa Barghouti, the general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, called the latest violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque a “very serious provocation that will definitely lead to an escalation”.

“And maybe that’s what the Israeli government wants,” he told Al Jazeera. “They want to distract attention from their internal divisions, from the demonstrations that are taking place inside Israel against this government, and they want to drag this whole region into an explosion.”

Barghouti blamed the violence, in part, on the appointment of Itamar Ben-Gvir as Israel’s minister of national security: “This Israeli government is using religion for nationalist causes.”

“This is unprecedented that the mosque would be attacked twice in the same day, people would be injured, elderly people would be attacked, children, women in the morning. And now preventing medical teams from reaching them,” he said..

World Opinins – Agencies

L’article Israeli police attack Palestinians in Al-Aqsa Mosque again est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.