Arab and European officials said that the Arab countries, which have long shunned the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, have offered him a deal that would restore relations between Damascus and many countries in the Middle East, and curb Iran’s influence at the same time, according to what was revealed by the American newspaper, The Wall Street Journal. Citing sources.
The sources revealed that Jordan led the talks at the beginning, during which the Arab countries offered billions of dollars in aid to help the Syrian regime rebuild the devastated country after the civil war, and pledged to pressure the United States and European powers to lift sanctions on the Assad regime.
Send Arab forces
The officials said that the Arab countries’ offer came in return for Assad’s agreement to cooperate with the Syrian political opposition, accept Arab forces to protect returning refugees, combat drug trafficking, and ask Iran to stop expanding its presence in the country.
An adviser to the Syrian regime and well-informed Arab and European officials explained – according to the Wall Street Journal – that the talks are still at an “early stage”, and that Assad has not shown interest in the demand for political reform nor a willingness to receive Arab forces.
Moreover, the Western powers have not revealed any inclination to end the harsh sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime for its human rights violations in the country.
The earthquakes reduced Assad’s isolation
However, the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria, killing nearly 6,000 Syrians, gave an impetus to the talks, as Bashar al-Assad seeks to exploit the humanitarian catastrophe in order to reduce his isolation, the sources said.
The officials said that these talks increased their effectiveness with the participation of Saudi Arabia, which is the most influential Arab country and one of the most reluctant to rapprochement with the Assad regime, as Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Minister, called last February to end the current situation in Syria, and allow to recover from its long-term humanitarian crisis.
And Saudi Arabia agreed a few days ago to resume relations with Iran in an agreement brokered by China, which indicates that the Kingdom is ready to change its previous course in the geopolitical alignment in the region.
The breakthrough regarding negotiations with al-Assad may be one of the most explicit examples of what the Middle East is witnessing in terms of broad arrangements to rebuild alliances, the fading of tensions arising from the Arab Spring uprisings, and the changing interests of foreign powers in the region, according to the same newspaper.
On the other hand, Russia and Iran are still the most prominent partners of the Syrian regime, and Bashar al-Assad arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, March 15, for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on developing trade cooperation between the two countries.
Curb Iran’s influence
European and Arab officials indicated that issues related to efforts to integrate the Syrian regime and rebuild the country will be on the agenda of the Arab summit, which is scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia this year.
The sources claimed that many Arab officials, although they despise Bashar al-Assad and his actions, believe that the international policies aimed at isolating Syria have proven to be counterproductive over time, and that they further strengthen Iran’s influence in the region.
On the other hand, sources familiar with the thinking of some Arab regimes said that they tend to improve relations with the Assad regime, which will help reduce Iran’s influence on one of its most prominent allies in the region.
The past weeks have witnessed a visit by the Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers to Damascus, in the first similar diplomatic activity in the country since 2011.
A political solution to the crisis
An Emirati official said, in response to the newspaper’s questions addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that the UAE sees “an urgent need to strengthen the Arab role in Syria,” and tends to “urgently search for a political solution to the crisis in Syria, to avoid the return of terrorism and extremism, which have spread during the ongoing conflict in Syria.” the country.”
However, persuading the United States and Europe to lift sanctions on Assad and his associates will not be easy for the Arab states, even for their close allies of the United States.
The Wall Street Journal could not obtain immediate comment from the US State Department, but Ned Price, a US State Department spokesman, said in the aftermath of the earthquake last February that his country “encourages normalization” only if the Assad regime implements a map. A path heading towards holding free elections.
Meanwhile, European officials said that the European Union is still concerned about Bashar al-Assad’s poor record of human rights violations and his unwillingness to hold free elections, and therefore ruled out the Syrian government’s call for a donors’ conference scheduled to be held in the coming months to collect donations for the reconstruction of the areas affected by the conflict. earthquake.
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