Arab nations gather in Saudi Arabia to try end Syria’s isolation

Discussions in Jeddah will include Syria’s suspension from the Arab League after the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.

Delegates from nine Arab countries are meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss the possibility of normalizing relations with Syria and returning to the Arab League.

Ministers and top officials from the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — along with those from Egypt, Iraq and Jordan were scheduled to meet on Friday at Saudi’s request -Arabia.

Syria’s suspension from the Arab League was imposed after President Bashar al-Assad’s government launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.

Shunned by many countries in the Middle East, al-Assad is a Western pariah in the 12-year war, which killed more than half a million people and displaced about half of Syria’s pre-war population from their homes.

Saudi Arabia, which has long opposed normalization with al-Assad, said after rapprochement with Iran, Syria’s main regional ally, a new approach was needed with Damascus.

Riyadh on Wednesday invited Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad for talks during a historic visit and both countries agreed to reopen embassies soon.

Damascus and Riyadh are on their way to resuming flights and consular services for the first time since the start of the war.

wishful thinking

Any recommendation to reinstate Syria into the 22-member Arab League, whose next meeting is due to take place in Saudi Arabia in May, is likely to draw protests from Western capitals.

On Thursday, however, the Prime Minister of Qatar poured cold water on rumors of Syria’s possible return to the Arab League.

“Nothing has been proposed, it’s all speculation,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said in a televised interview.

Abdulaziz Alghashian, Saudi foreign policy analyst, said the expectation that Syria’s “smooth entry into the Arab League will be very wishful thinking.”

“There is still a lot of water to pass under the bridge. Many people have not forgotten what Assad did,” he told Al Jazeera from Riyadh.

However, Alghashian said many people in the Arab world, especially the ruling elites, are looking to “reintegrate Syria into the Arab herd so that regional projects can continue.”

Saudi Arabia’s interest in restoring ties should be seen as part of the drive towards Vision 2030 – a Saudi initiative that aims to diversify and privatize the economy and reduce its dependence on oil.

“They’re trying to create a more investment-friendly environment for foreign direct investment, and that’s really at the heart of the Saudi ruling elite’s decision,” Alghashian said.

The meeting in Jeddah is one of many initiatives following Saudi Arabia and Iran’s historic announcement on March 10, through Chinese mediation, that they would resume ties, seven years after an acrimonious split.

Earlier on Friday, an exchange of nearly 900 prisoners from the Yemeni civil war between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a Saudi Arabian-led coalition began as the first flight left the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa.

The Saudi ambassador to Yemen this week held talks with Iran-backed Houthi rebels to end the devastating civil war that has raged since the Saudi-led military intervention began in 2015.