There is no place for a “revenge mentality” in the decisions of Arab states on relations with the Syrian regime, a former Damascus political adviser told The National.
Ali Al Ahmed, who was an adviser to the Syrian Information Ministry between 2013 and 2020 and now works for a Moscow-based think tank, said that the Arab League was not as powerful without all of its members.
On Tuesday, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad met Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Damascus in the latest step to improve relations. It was the first Saudi official visit to Syria since 2011.
The two discussed the path to a comprehensive political settlement to end the Syrian crisis, national reconciliation and the resumption of Syria’s role in the Arab world, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in 2011, months into a crackdown on protests that morphed into a brutal civil war which rages more than a decade later and has cost thousands of lives.
Two Arab countries, Qatar and Kuwait, still have reservations about Syria rejoining.
But Mr Al Ahmed said the thawing of tensions with Saudi Arabia offered hope.
“Just like no one imagined there would be a resumption of relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia, there could be similar steps with Qatar and Kuwait,” he said.
Prince Faisal’s visit came a week after Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad visited Jeddah and the two sides agreed to resume consular services and flights after normalising ties.
Mr Mekdad, who also recently visited Algeria and Tunisia, has said his country’s return to the Arab League would be “almost impossible before correcting bilateral relations”.
Mr Al Ahmed says conditions cannot be placed on Syria for the resumption of relations.
“Dictating terms … is something that the Syrian government would not accept,” he said.
The Saudi visit on Tuesday came days after the kingdom hosted a meeting of nine Arab nations focused on ending Syria's isolation at a time of fast-paced diplomatic shifts across the region.
“I don’t see rapprochement between Syria and certain Arab states as an abnormal step,” said Mr Al Ahmed.
“On the contrary, I found it strange when there was rivalry in the region between some Arab states and Syria.”
A “black or white” mentality was predominant in the political sphere which created the tense relations over the past decade, he said.
Calls by some Arab states to change the Syrian government were “unacceptable”, he added.
“Arab states realised that it was fruitless calling for a change which could have dangerous consequences on the region as a whole, not just Syria.” Mr Al Ahmed said.
The meeting was important not just for bilateral relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia, it could also have an impact on the whole region, he said.
“Syria could play an important role in bridging the relations between Arab states as a whole and Iran, Russia and China,” Mr Al Ahmed said.
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Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
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Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
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Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
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Rating: 4.5/5
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
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4/5
