Press release: Arab League allows restoring relations with Syria
The Arabic Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram Al Arabi reported on Saturday the position of the Arab countries on restoring relations between the Arab League and Syria.
The newspaper quoted sources as saying that “many Arab countries, including Gulf states, are moving to agree to restore relations between the Arab League and Syria”.
The sources said that “the Arab League Council at the level of permanent delegates will be held on Sunday, January 6, will allow the reopening of Arab countries to embassies in the Syrian capital Damascus and the reopening of Syrian embassies in Arab capitals after the Arab League froze membership of Syria in November 2011.
The sources pointed out that “there are two groups within the Arab League, the first group calls for the return of Syria to its vacant seat 7 years ago during the meeting of permanent delegates on January 6, paving the way for Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to attend the Arab Economic Summit in Lebanon this month, and the regular Arab leaders summit that will be held in Tunisia in March”.
“The other group wants the permanent delegates’ meeting to allow Arab embassies and Arab ambassadors to return to Damascus, the return of Syrian ambassadors to Arab countries, postponing the decision of Syria to return to its Arab League summit and the Arab leaders in March”.
The sources said, “It has not settled everyone on a unified position so far, but according to all sources confirmed that the return of Syria to its seat in the Arab League is a matter of time”.
The United Arab Emirates opened its embassy in Damascus last week, while the Kingdom of Bahrain announced the continuation of its embassy in the Syrian Arab Republic, noting that the Syrian embassy in the capital Manama is doing its normal work, years after the closure of a number of Arab embassies in Damascus.
The start of the Syrian crisis, while Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Al Jarallah, in statements to Al Jazeera channel on Monday, that “there is no return to the work of his country’s embassy in Damascus only after a decision of the Arab League”.
According to Kuwaiti press information the Kuwaiti embassy in Damascus probably will reopen next month.
