Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced a visit by his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to Jordan in a few days, to discuss the Syrian issue specifically.
Safadi said in an interview with Sky News Arabia on Monday that Lavrov “will visit Jordan in a few days, and the main focus of the visit is the Syrian issue.”
This came after statements attributed to Safadi about an “Arab consensus” to end the Syrian issue. The Jordanian minister said that Arab foreign ministers agreed on the need to end the “Syrian crisis” and find a solution to it.
International, Regional Rejection to Rapprochement Between Amman and Damascus
He added to the Russian agency Sputnik that during the meeting of Arab foreign ministers, on Monday, in preparation for the Arab summit in Algeria, the Syrian issue and the issue of the return of the regime to the Arab League were discussed.
He added: “What we all agreed on is the importance of ending this crisis, and that there be a leading Arab role to end it.” He continued: “The Syrian crisis has lasted for a long time, and there must be a leading Arab role to solve it and rid it of its consequences, and in a way that allows a political solution that preserves Syria’s unity and saves it from terrorism, restoring its security, well-being and role regionally and internationally.”
Arab-led “peace”
Jordan’s foreign minister’s comments came a month after he announced a “peace process” led by some Arab countries for Syria.
Safadi told the UAE’s English-language newspaper, The National, in September that Amman was mobilizing regional and international support for an Arab-led political process to end the war in Syria.
The process will involve Saudi Arabia and other countries. He added that it is based on UN resolutions 2254 and 2642, which provide for a road map for a “political settlement” for the Syrian issue.
When asked about the impact of U.S. sanctions on that “peace process,” he said that “such obstacles can be overcome” without clarifying the mechanism.
“I can safely say that everyone wants to see an end to this crisis, and everyone is open to any mechanism that can end this crisis,” he said, adding that Jordan “calls for a collective Arab role to end that crisis.”
Regarding normalization efforts with the Syrian regime, Safadi said Arab countries should take a “gradual approach” and lead the resolution of the “Syrian conflict.”
“There has been no real process to address that crisis in the last few years, it has been a status quo policy, and we cannot live with the policies of the status quo. ”
The Emirati newspaper The National quoted Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib last week as saying that “unlike in the past, during this year’s General Assembly meeting, the United States did not raise any objections to normalization efforts with the Assad regime.”
It is noteworthy that the Arab summit is being held on Tuesday in Algeria after a three-year hiatus due to the conditions of the spread of COVID-19, amid the absence of six Arab leaders from attending the summit, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emir of Kuwait Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
The summit is expected to discuss the crises of the Arab region, food and energy security issues in light of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the Syrian issue, and the issue of the regime’s return to the Arab league.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
