The United States criticizes ending the suspension of Syria in the Arab League
The United States on Monday criticized the Arab League’s decision to resume the participation of Syrian government delegations in its meetings, saying that President Bashar al Assad doesn’t deserve normalization of relations following the bloody conflict.
“We don’t believe that Syria deserves to be returned to the Arab League at the present time,” foreign ministry spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
“We still believe that we will not normalize our relations with the Assad regime nor support our allies and partners in doing so,” he added.
The United States has repeatedly expressed its opposition to reconciliation with Syria, and its domestic law prohibits any reconstruction assistance without accountability for abuses during the war.
However, the League of Arab States voted on Sunday in favor of resuming Syria’s activities, which means its de facto recognition of Assad’s victory in the war that has claimed the lives of half a million people and displaced half of the population since 2011.
However, the US State Department spokesman played down the importance of the differences with the Arab countries, stressing that Washington has common goals with many of its Arab partners regarding Syria.
“We share a number of goals with our Arab partners with regard to Syria, including reaching a solution to the Syrian crisis in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254,” Vedant Patel said, referring to the 2015 international resolution that stipulated a roadmap for political transition.
He emphasized that the United States will also work with Arab partners to expand humanitarian access to Syrians and support stability to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State.
