OIC Welcomes Saudi-US Initiative on Talks between Sudan Army, RSF in Jeddah

In this picture taken on May 5, 2023, people are pictured aboard the Spanish frigate Reina Sofia during an evacuation from Port Sudan toward Saudi Arabia. (Photo by AFP)
In this picture taken on May 5, 2023, people are pictured aboard the Spanish frigate Reina Sofia during an evacuation from Port Sudan toward Saudi Arabia. (Photo by AFP)
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OIC Welcomes Saudi-US Initiative on Talks between Sudan Army, RSF in Jeddah

In this picture taken on May 5, 2023, people are pictured aboard the Spanish frigate Reina Sofia during an evacuation from Port Sudan toward Saudi Arabia. (Photo by AFP)
In this picture taken on May 5, 2023, people are pictured aboard the Spanish frigate Reina Sofia during an evacuation from Port Sudan toward Saudi Arabia. (Photo by AFP)

Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha welcomed on Saturday the Saudi-US initiative calling for the start of preliminary talks in Jeddah between representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

The Secretary-General praised the initiative, which is consistent with the text of the statement issued by the Executive Committee of the organization at its last meeting on Wednesday.

The statement called for an immediate halt to the military escalation in a way that preserves the capabilities of the Sudanese people, in light of the huge human losses and the destruction of facilities and infrastructure.

It called for prioritizing dialogue, showing self-restraint and wisdom, and returning as soon as possible to the negotiating table to continue peaceful efforts to resolve the Sudanese crisis.

The Secretary-General called on the delegations negotiating on behalf of the two sides to work to maintain the truce and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population, to work hard to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and to put the national interest of Sudan above everything else to preserve its unity and state institutions, and achieve the aspirations of the Sudanese people to live in security, peace and political stability, and enjoy economic development.



Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa received a delegation from Bahrain on Wednesday and met with the Bahraini foreign minister, state media reported.

The visit was the latest in a flurry of diplomatic overtures by Arab countries to Syria’s new leaders after they overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive.

Like other Gulf countries, Bahrain had cut off diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad’s rule during the Syrian civil war, but it reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018 and gradually restored ties with the Assad government.

Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit, and days after Assad’s ouster it had sent a message to al-Sharaa offering its cooperation with the new authorities and saying, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.”