The regime of Bashar al-Assad, who has been criticized as the “Syrian butcher” for torturing citizens who participated in anti-government protests and massacring civilians with poison gas, returns to the Arab League (AL) after 12 years. President Al-Assad is expected to have an official return to diplomacy at the Arab League Summit to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the 19th.
According to foreign media such as Reuters, the heads of foreign affairs of the Arab League member states decided to return Syria to the Arab League at a meeting held in Cairo, Egypt on the 7th (local time). A majority of 13 out of 22 member states voted in favor.
Assad is a dictator who inherited power from his father, former President Hafezi al-Assad. The Assad family has ruled Syria for over 50 years. In 2011, the Syrian regime led by President Assad fired indiscriminately at protesters calling for the resignation of the president, killing hundreds and resulting in his expulsion from the Arab League. In 2013, he killed 1,400 civilians by using the banned weapon sarin gas in rebel-controlled areas. Many of the detainees involved in anti-government protests were tortured to death, and in 2011, it was revealed that a 13-year-old boy who was arrested died after being tortured with electricity.
During Syria’s civil war against Assad’s regime, Iran, the leader of the Shiites, supported the Syrian regime, while the leader of the Sunnis, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries, along with the West, supported the rebels. As a result, Syria is isolated internationally.
However, after the earthquake in Turkiye in February, this composition changed. The Assad regime has already taken control of most of the country with military support from its allies, including Russia and Iran, and as the Syrian refugee problem grows due to the devastating earthquake, people around them begin to seek solutions. In particular, when aid supplies to Syria were not adequately aided due to Western sanctions, Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stepped up to provide aid, and the mood for reconciliation was ripe. In the midst of this, Saudi Arabia and Iran, rivals in the Middle East, agreed to normalize relations in March, prompting discussions on Syria’s return to the Arab League.
However, the Arab League, conscious of the international criticism towards the Assad regime, has also ordered measures to resolve Syria’s internal problems, including the civil war. The US State Department questioned President Assad’s will to resolve the civil war and said, “Syria is not entitled to rejoin the Arab League.” He added, however, that “Arab states are seeking to engage the Assad regime with the intention of resolving the Syrian crisis, and the United States supports Arab states in their ultimate goal.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.