Jeddah talks to end Syria's long isolation get underway

Arab countries gathered in Jeddah on Friday to discuss ending Syria’s long spell in the diplomatic wilderness, as regional relations shift following Saudi Arabia and Iran’s decision to resume ties.

Ministers and top officials from the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan are meeting at Saudi Arabia’s request.

Up for discussion in the Red Sea city is Syria’s suspension from the Arab League, imposed when President Bashar Al Assad’s government launched a crackdown on protests in 2011.

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Al Khuraiji (R) and Faisal Mekdad hold talks in Jeddah. Reuters

Backed by Iran and Russia, Assad has been shunned by many Middle Eastern countries and is unwanted in the West.  But on Wednesday, in the latest sign of an easing in tensions with Damascus, Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrived in Jeddah, the first such visit since the war began.

Mekdad and his Saudi counterpart discussed “the necessary steps” to end Damascus’s isolation, according to a Saudi statement on Wednesday.

Jordan said ahead of a meeting on Friday to discuss Syria’s readmission to the Arab League it was pushing a joint Arab peace plan that could end the devastating consequences of the over decade old Syrian conflict, according to a source close to the matter.

Syria was suspended from the Arab League in response to Al Assad’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protests.

The kingdom had proposed forming a joint Arab group that “would directly engage the Syrian government on a detailed plan to end the conflict,” the official who requested anonymity told Reuters.

“The detailed roadmap deals with all the key issues ..and solving the crisis so that Syria can restore its role in the region and rejoin the Arab league,” he added.

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Al Khuraiji (2-R) receives Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (2-L) at the airport of Jeddah. Reuters

Jordan was among the first Arab states at odds with Assad over the handling of the bloody conflict and said after he regained control nearly two years ago that there was a need to break the stalemate in the conflict.

The “step-for-step” approach on ending the crisis and eventually allowing Syria to rejoin the Arab League was the basis of the Jordanian-inspired roadmap, said the official adding his country hosts 1.3 million Syrians who took refuge and was still reeling from the crisis.

The road map was crucial to “tackle the humanitarian, security and political consequences of the conflict, the senior official added.

“We want this crisis to end, restoring security and stability to Syria is essential for regional security,” the senior official said.

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

Jordan shared the plan with its ally Washington and major European countries, the official said, adding that a major issue to be tackled was the return of millions of refugees who fled Syria, many of whom fear reprisals if they go back.

The official said winning the West’s support was crucial to end the crisis and to lift US and European sanctions on Syria to enable a massive reconstruction of the war torn country and address its dire humanitarian needs.

The blueprint also envisages national reconciliation and that Damascus accounts for the fate of tens of thousands of missing during the conflict, many of whom are believed to have died in detention centres, according to Western rights groups.

Agenceies