Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Jeddah. Photo: Spa
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Jeddah. Photo: Spa
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Jeddah. Photo: Spa
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Jeddah. Photo: Spa

Syria’s regional ties must improve before it can rejoin Arab League, minister says


Ismaeel Naar
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  • Arabic

Syria must improve its regional relations before it can return to the Arab League, Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has said.

He told Algeria International TV that his recent visits to Arab countries have aimed to turn a new page in diplomatic relations.

“The Arab League exists but then the differences within the Arab League will remain,” Mr Mekdad said.

“Syria has always believed in working with the Arab League in terms of joint co-operation that works with unifying the Arab stance on a number of issues.

“But Syria cannot accept being in a position where it’s responsible for the differences among the Arab world.”

He added: “So if Syria rejoining the Arab League helps in unifying the regional stance, then Syria does not mind.”

Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 in protest over the government of President Bashar Al Assad's response to demonstrations in the country.

Algeria is one of the few Arab countries that did not cut off relations with Syria during the civil war that followed the 2011 uprising.

Mr Mekdad will be arriving in Tunisia on Monday on an official visit with the aim of improving bilateral relations.

Saudi Arabia hosts a meeting of foreign ministers from Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf Co-operation Council countries to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League in Jeddah. Photo: Spa
Saudi Arabia hosts a meeting of foreign ministers from Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf Co-operation Council countries to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League in Jeddah. Photo: Spa

Tunisia is expected to formally raise its diplomatic representation in Syria and officially assign an ambassador to Damascus, President Kais Saied said earlier this month.

Tunisia — under Moncef Marzouki, who was president at the time — severed diplomatic relations with Damascus in 2012 after the start of Syria's civil war.

A group of regional leaders who met in Saudi Arabia pledged on Saturday to continue talks to reach a political solution to the Syrian conflict, but stopped short of endorsing its return to the Arab League. The meeting included top diplomats from Gulf countries as well as from Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.

Days before that regional meeting in Saudi Arabia, Mr Mekdad also paid an official visit to Jeddah, the first such trip by a Syrian government official since 2011.

Although the 22-nation Arab League makes decisions by simple majority, a unanimous vote is what the kingdom will be hoping for as it hosts the organisation's next summit in Riyadh on May 19.

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Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset was due to a personal matter.

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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Updated: April 17, 2023, 3:53 PM`