Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary-general of the Arab League, said he has not monitored an Arab tendency to return Syria to its seat in the pan-Arab organization, despite the interest of some countries, as Russia continues to try to sponsor normalization with some Arab countries to reach the Assad regime’s return to the League.
He explained that Syria is an Arab country whose membership in the League has been suspended due to a situation that has not undergone a major change. But 11 years have passed since the time of the freeze. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, he expressed his belief that Syria will eventually return to occupying its seat in the Arab League, but this matter may be “at the next summit, and perhaps after years to come.”
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Aboul Gheit answered a question about whether there is an intention to send an invitation to Bashar al-Assad to attend the Algeria summit, next November. He said that this matter “is not raised in the League,” stressing that it requires Arab consensus and consultations from the host country, which he did not receive.
The Secretary-General of the Arab League noted that attempts to distance the regime from Iran “are a very logical and natural matter.” He added: “There is an opinion that if the door is opened, this may keep Syria away from Iran. Another view is that this is a strategic relationship that has existed since President Assad Senior and will not change. The upcoming days will reveal the truth.”
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.
