A consultative meeting was held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, between the foreign ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria, with the aim of discussing the return of Damascus to the Arab incubator, and working to find a breakthrough in the crisis that has afflicted the Syrian people and the state over the past twelve years. The Amman meeting comes a few days after the meeting that took place in Jeddah and included the countries of the Cooperation Council in addition to Iraq, Jordan and Egypt. This meeting created a common Arab vision for the situation in Syria and how to deal with this thorny file, which requires a dialogue with Damascus that began quickly with his visit. Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Damascus, which broke the ice surrounding Damascus’s Arab relations.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is keen on Arab national security and seeks to get the Arab countries out of their crises, opened the door to present an Arab vision different from what prevailed, but this matter requires the Syrian leadership to travel a significant distance to meet the Arab efforts in the middle of the road. Perhaps the actual translation of the Saudi vision was expressed in the Jordanian initiative, which was agreed upon between the parties that met with the Syrian foreign minister. The first point that the Arabs agree on and that Damascus is supposed to support is the principle of sovereignty. The Arabs want the Syrian state to regain control over all its lands, and this means dismantling the militias on Syrian soil that have become a burden on political and social security and have contributed to the conflict of agendas, in a way that guarantees a real fight against terrorist organizations. Like ISIS, Al-Nusra, and others. Everyone is aware of the difficulty and complexity of this file, but Damascus must show the will to ask all parties to withdraw, but this can only be done through a political solution, and here comes the second point that requires a different vision from the Syrian leadership. The political solution is the basis upon which all other foundations can be built for the return of stability and security to this Arab country. Without a political solution, we are talking about a false peace that makes Syria a prey for foreign agendas and a field for international competition. If a political solution is achieved, only then can we talk about the voluntary return of refugees, after this file has become an internal crisis in more than one country, whether in Lebanon, Turkey or Jordan. At the same time, Damascus must show a real will to fight the drug trade, which has become a concern for the countries of the region after organized crime organizations flooded these countries with narcotics, which poses a great danger to Arab societies.
The Arab hand is extended to Damascus, and the Arab countries, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have made great strides towards Syria, but there are two parties to this equation, and therefore Syria has a lot of effort to converge with these efforts. Perhaps the next step is for the Arab countries to search for a broader framework that includes the countries of the region as well as the international poles in order to find an international and regional understanding that alone will be able to make a real breakthrough in the wall of the chaotic reality in Syria. And the Kingdom, with its presence, influence and soft power, has initiated these efforts, and we are confident that the Arab reality, as well as the Syrian one, is in safe hands.
