Al-Watan learned from Arab diplomatic sources that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Faisal Al-Miqdad, will start an Arab tour next week that will lead him to Algeria and Tunisia.
The sources indicated that Tunisia appointed a new ambassador to Syria, days following Tunisian President Kais Said directed Nabil Ammar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Tunisians Abroad, to initiate procedures for appointing an ambassador for his country in Damascus.
The Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs assigned Muhammad al-Mahdhibi as ambassador to his country in Syria, and sent his credentials to Damascus, where the official announcement of his appointment is expected to take place within the next few days.
According to Al-Watan sources, Al-Miqdad will first land during his Arab tour in Algeria, where he will hold talks on strengthening bilateral cooperation in various fields, in addition to political developments in the Arab arena, as Algeria is currently chairing the Arab summit, and an emphasis on the depth of the ties that unite the two countries, especially since Algeria has not It severed its relations with Damascus, did not close its embassy, and was proactive in breaking the siege imposed on Syria, hours following the catastrophe of the devastating earthquake.
The sources pointed out that the region will witness an intensification of inter-Arab contacts, especially on the level of the return of the Syrian-Saudi relations to their health, as well as on the level of the issue of suspending the Arab League’s decision and restoring Syria to its seat.
The sources pointed out that these movements will begin immediately following the end of the month of Ramadan, as these movements will witness tangible and accelerated steps on the road to restoring Arab-Arab relations to their health and normalizing relations, especially on the Damascus-Riyadh line.
Follow-up Syrian sources commented on the expected developments by saying: “The doors of Damascus are open to all Arab brothers as they have always been, and the Syrian position is clear regarding the necessity and importance of restoring Arab-Arab relations, especially at this stage when the world is facing major challenges.”
Yesterday, he called the Gulf Cooperation Council for a meeting to discuss the issue of Syria’s return to the Arab League. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, next Friday, with the participation of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Majid Al-Ansari, said during a press briefing: “The main objective of this consultative meeting, in which the Gulf states participate, in addition to Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, is to “discuss the situation in Syria.”
He pointed out that there are many developments regarding the situation in Syria and the Arab views towards Syria’s return to the League of Arab States.
The decision to suspend Syria’s membership in the Arab League, which was taken at an emergency meeting held by Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on the twelfth of November 2011, was not issued unanimously. Rather, 18 countries voted on it. Lebanon, Yemen and Algeria rejected it, and Iraq abstained from voting.
Syria’s ambassador to the League of Arab States at the time, Youssef Ahmed, declared that the league’s decision was “illegal and contrary to its charter and internal system,” considering that it “mourns joint Arab action, and it is tantamount to a scandalous declaration that its administration is subject to American-Western agendas.”
And confirmed the decision, which was read by the Prime Minister – then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani in a press conference held following the meeting, “to suspend the participation of the delegation of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic in the meetings of the Council of the Arab League and all its affiliated organizations and agencies, as of November 16, 2011.”
The resolution called on “the Arab countries to withdraw their ambassadors from Damascus,” but considered that a “sovereign decision for each country.” The ministers also agreed to “impose economic and political sanctions” on Syria.
Until yesterday, media reports were talking regarding that most Arab countries agreed to end the suspension of Syria’s membership in the Arab League, with the exception of Kuwait, Qatar and Morocco.
In the context, the Lebanese National News Agency reported yesterday that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in the Lebanese caretaker government, Abdullah Bouhabib, discussed with the Russian Ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Rudakov, issues of the region and Syria’s return to the Arab League.
