Disagreement Among Arab Countries Over Iran and Syria at Lebanon Summit

As the time for the regional economic summit in Lebanon approaches, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, the disagreement among Arab countries regarding the future of Syria and how to contain Iran has overshadowed the meeting. According to Al Jazeera news network, many Arab leaders who were supposed to attend the fourth economic and social development summit of Arab League member states have recently announced that they will not be present. The Emirs of Kuwait and Qatar will not attend. Instead of the President of Egypt, the Prime Minister of the country is expected to come to Lebanon, and Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, has also stated that he will be in New York these days. This apparent indifference seems to be a conscious message to the Iranian government that its allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, hold significant power and support Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. From the perspective of Iran's allies, this summit could have been an appropriate opportunity for Bashar al-Assad to reappear at the Arab leaders' gathering, but the future of Syria is not among the topics of discussion at this summit. Hossam Zaki, an advisor to the Secretary-General of the Arab League, stated, "The Arab League has no plans to discuss inviting Damascus to future meetings of the institution in Tunisia, and in any case, Syria has not been invited to this summit." Rami Khouri, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera, "We have not reached that stage yet. All Arab governments do not intend to normalize their relations with Syria quickly." The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011, prior to the onset of the Syrian civil war, due to the violent suppression of anti-government protests and imposed economic sanctions against it. Some countries even recalled their ambassadors from Damascus. In late 2018, Omar al-Bashir, the President of Sudan, was the first Arab leader to visit Damascus since the beginning of the civil war. In the weeks following this visit, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates reopened their embassies in Damascus, but the Arab League has not yet reached a complete agreement in this regard. Recently, some Arab countries have clarified their positions. Iraq, which has never severed its relations with Syria, announced its support for efforts to restore Damascus's membership in the Arab League. Qatar, a significant supporter of the Syrian regime's opponents, stated that the reasons for Syria's suspension remain in place, and there are no positive signs for normalizing relations with Damascus. Saudi Arabia has denied the possibility of reopening its embassy in Damascus, like its allies Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Sami Nader, a political analyst, said, "Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, told them that before agreeing on the main points of a political settlement for Syria, it is still too early to normalize relations or talk about the reconstruction of that country." Bashar al-Assad, who has managed to remain in power after about eight years of war against his regime, will try to consolidate his position in Syria, end his government's isolation, and attract much-needed foreign investments for the reconstruction of the devastated country. However, what is perceived as Moscow-led diplomatic efforts to legitimize the Syrian government currently faces many obstacles.