Arab states are to hold a meeting on Friday in Saudi Arabia to discuss ties with Syria and the possibility of Damascus returning to the Arab League.
Regional efforts have increased during the past few weeks to re-engage with Syria and reduce its isolation from the Arab world following its decades-long civil war.
Ministers from the Gulf Co-operation Council countries, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, have been invited to meet in Jeddah on Friday, said Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari.
“The main objective is to discuss the situation in Syria,” he said.
“There are many developments regarding the situation in Syria and Arab views towards Syria’s return to the Arab League.”
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has visited the UAE and Oman this year.
Last month, Saudi Arabia said it has started talks with Damascus about resuming consular services.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani is expected to attend the meeting. The Iraqi government said it was considering the invitation.
The development comes after Riyadh said last month it has begun discussions with Damascus on resuming diplomatic relations.
The resumption of ties between the two would be the most significant development yet in moves by Arab states to normalise ties with Mr Al Assad.
The majority of Arab and Western states cut relations with the government of Mr Al Assad after Syria’s war began in 2011.
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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