UAE’s Gargash Says Syria Events Reflect Political Failure

Opposition fighters and people celebrate in Homs after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, Homs, Syria December 8, 2024. (Reuters)
Opposition fighters and people celebrate in Homs after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, Homs, Syria December 8, 2024. (Reuters)
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UAE’s Gargash Says Syria Events Reflect Political Failure

Opposition fighters and people celebrate in Homs after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, Homs, Syria December 8, 2024. (Reuters)
Opposition fighters and people celebrate in Homs after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, Homs, Syria December 8, 2024. (Reuters)

Non-state actors should not be allowed the opportunity to exploit political vacuums, the United Arab Emirates diplomatic advisor to the president said on Sunday shortly after Syrian opposition factions declared the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Damascus.  

"Unfolding events in Syria are also a clear indication of political failure and the destructive nature of conflict and chaos," Anwar Gargash told the Manama Dialogue security forum in the Bahraini capital in the first official comments from the UAE on the matter.  

Syria's regime has fallen after opposition fighters entered Damascus following a stunning advance and a Syrian opposition war monitor reported that Assad had left the country.  

Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group, said Assad took a flight from Damascus and left early Sunday.

Asked if Assad was heading to the UAE, Gargash said: "When people ask where is Bashar al-Assad going to, I say, you know, when you really look at this, this is really at the end of the day a footnote in history. I’m reminded a little bit by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918 when he went into a long exile."

He added: "But I don’t think when you look at that period, this is really critical."



Emir of Kuwait, Iranian President Discuss Regional Developments

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. (KUNA)
Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. (KUNA)
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Emir of Kuwait, Iranian President Discuss Regional Developments

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. (KUNA)
Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. (KUNA)

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received on Wednesday a telephone call from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

They discussed the strong bilateral ties that bind their nations and means to boost them across various fields, reported the Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA.

They also reviewed regional and international developments and issues of common interest.

Sheikh Meshal hailed the enduring ties between Kuwait and Iran, underscoring his keenness on developing them further to achieve more cooperation.

He wished Pezeshkian good health and Iran further progress.