In what could be termed a watershed moment to bring an end to Syria’s more than a decade of isolation, Syrian President Bashar al Assad was welcomed back into the Arab League at the bloc’s meeting on Friday in Saudi Arabia’s Port City of Jeddah.
The way Arab leaders posed with Assad and especially the smiling handshake between Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and the Syrian President clearly indicate their comfort level as well as determination to overcome the toxic and destabilizing impacts of the Syrian conflict on the region. Whilst calling this a historic opportunity, Assad, while addressing the summit, also stated that they need to treat the cracks that have emerged on the Arab scene during the past decade.
Twelve years of war only brought immense suffering to the Syrian people. According to some estimates, the conflict left half a million people dead and devastated many cities. In addition to the bloodshed, more than half of Syria’s pre-war population of 22 million have had to flee their homes. Some 6.8 million are internally displaced, with over two million living in tented camps with limited access to basic services.
Another six million are refugees or asylum-seekers abroad. Neighbouring Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, which are hosting 5.3 million of them, have struggled to cope with one of the largest refugee exoduses in recent history. At the start of 2023, the UN said 15.3 million people inside Syria were in need of some form of humanitarian assistance – an all-time high since the war began, and 12 million did not know where their next meal was coming from. The February 6 earthquakes added more death and destruction to parts of northern Syria already worn down by the civil war.
In this gloomy backdrop, the Syrian readmission into the Arab League needs to be seen positively, which will help end the suffering of the Syrian people. Efforts on the part of regional countries to bring Syria back to the fold of Arab surroundings are really commendable.
In fact, a turning point in Syria’s reintegration came earlier this year when Saudi Arabia began moving towards reconciliation with Damascus. Both the February 6 earthquakes and the March 10 Saudi-Iranian diplomatic deal accelerated Riyadh’s movement towards renormalization of relations with al-Assad’s regime. It is fair to conclude that Syria’s return to the Arab League only became feasible after Saudi Arabia changed its position.
For Syrians, readmission to the Arab League is a first step towards ending their deeply painful isolation, and with this should follow the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase, in which we believe the Arab countries, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be more than willing to invest given their recent engagements with the Syrian officials.
It must be understood that wars give nothing but death and destruction, and it is only through dialogue and diplomacy that the matters can be settled. The US should also review its policy towards Syria. Also, from many Arab governments’ perspectives, the United States and other Western powers’ current strategy of isolating Syria is unsustainable.
The lifting of sanctions will go a long way in taking forward the process of reconstruction without any hurdle that will also ultimately create a pull factor for the Syrian refugees to return back home. It is also for President Assad to pursue the course of dialogue with his opponents within the country if he is really interested in ensuring long-term peace and stability. The Arab backing will really help him address most of the issues.
