Arab countries met in Jeddah to discuss Syria’s suspension from the Arab League. Saudi Arabia and Iran’s decision to resume ties has caused a shift in regional relations. The meeting included representatives from six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan. Syria did not participate in the talks. The meeting aims to end Syria’s diplomatic isolation, but any recommendation to reinstate Syria in the Arab League is likely to draw protests from Western capitals.
Syria’s rehabilitation sends a message to the opposition that Assad will triumph in the end and their foreign backers will betray them. Inhabitants of rebel-held Idlib, in northern Syria, felt betrayed by the moves to rehabilitate Assad’s government. The Jeddah meeting is one of a flurry of initiatives following Saudi Arabia and Iran’s announcement that they would resume ties.
An exchange of prisoners from Yemen’s civil war between the Iran-backed Huthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition got under way. The Saudi ambassador to Yemen held talks with Huthi forces aimed at ending the devastating civil war. Gas-rich Qatar and its tiny but strategic Gulf neighbour Bahrain agreed to re-establish relations, putting aside a long-running diplomatic feud.
Saudi Arabia is trying to calm the region to allow it to focus on ambitious domestic projects aimed at diversifying its energy-dependent economy. Although the Arab League takes decisions by consensus, unanimous agreement is unlikely. The meeting aims to overcome the Gulf differences over Syria as much as possible, singling out Qatar.
