Gargash Meets Hemedti, Pledges UAE Support for Sudan

 UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash speaks during a press conference in the UAE (AP)
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash speaks during a press conference in the UAE (AP)
TT

Gargash Meets Hemedti, Pledges UAE Support for Sudan

 UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash speaks during a press conference in the UAE (AP)
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash speaks during a press conference in the UAE (AP)

The United Arab Emirates has stressed its full commitment to support Sudan’s development projects. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash arrived on Monday to Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, in a two-day visit.

Gargash met with Deputy Head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as “Hemedti”, along with a number of ministers in the transitional government. He said his country is aware of the current conditions Sudan is going through, stressing the necessity of joining efforts of friendly and brotherly countries to support it during this stage.

Following his talks with Sudanese Finance Minister Ibrahim el-Badawi, Gargash affirmed the UAE government’s persistence to develop relations with Sudan.

“The UAE is fully committed to Sudan’s success and to its economic and regional take-off to be able to play its natural role as one of the biggest and most important Arab countries,” Gargash told reporters.

He pointed to the firm historical ties and common interests between the UAE and Sudan, especially their geostrategic and economic relations.

The UAE Minister said his visit comes as part of a series of exchanged visits between officials from both countries to discuss various economic and political issues. He is scheduled to meet a large number of Sudanese officials to discuss means of bolstering bilateral cooperation. He also expressed pride in the Sudanese community in the UAE, which amounts to about 100,000 people, praising their contributions to his country’s experience. Badawi, for his part, said Gargash’s visit comes in the framework of UAE officials’ interest in supporting the great transformation in Sudan, adding that their meeting tackled developments of relations and means of cooperation in various fields.

Gargash also held talks with Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador al-Siddiq Abdul-Aziz, tackling means of boosting bilateral relations. According to the foreign ministry, the two sides discussed regional and international issues of common concern and developments in the Arab and North African regions.



Pedersen Says ‘Extremely Critical’ to Avoid Syria Being Dragged into War in Region

UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh in Damascus on Sunday. (Syrian Foreign Ministry)
UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh in Damascus on Sunday. (Syrian Foreign Ministry)
TT

Pedersen Says ‘Extremely Critical’ to Avoid Syria Being Dragged into War in Region

UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh in Damascus on Sunday. (Syrian Foreign Ministry)
UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh in Damascus on Sunday. (Syrian Foreign Ministry)

The UN special envoy for Syria said on Sunday that it was “extremely critical” to end the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza to avoid the country being pulled into a regional war.

“We need now to make sure that we have immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, that we have a ceasefire in Lebanon, and that we avoid Syria being dragged even further into the conflict,” said Geir Pedersen ahead of a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh in Damascus.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has not released any details about the Pedersen-Sabbagh meeting. It only issued a brief statement in which it announced the meeting.

Local sources said Pedersen's second visit to Damascus this year is aimed at exploring the possibility of resuming the Constitutional Committee meetings aimed at resolving the Syrian crisis.

The meetings have been stalled since the eighth round on February 22, 2022, due to a dispute over the venue of the reconvening of the Constitutional Committee. Russia, which is not satisfied with Switzerland's joining Western sanctions against Moscow because of the Ukraine war, refuses to hold it in Geneva.

“Pedersen is holding talks with Syrian officials in Damascus, where he arrived last Wednesday, about the possibility of resuming the Constitutional Committee meetings,” reported Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper.

Earlier this month, Russian presidential envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev told TASS: “As you know, only one venue - Geneva - is still unacceptable for the Russian side. As for all others, we are ready to work there.”

He added: “Probably, there is an open option with Baghdad, which, regrettably, was rejected by the Syrian opposition. It refused from this venue because Baghdad is supporting Damascus. They don’t think that Iraq is a neutral venue.”

The Russian diplomat stressed that the committee’s work should be resumed as soon as possible, but, in his words, it takes a lot of effort to find a venue that would be acceptable for both Damascus and the Syrian opposition.

Israel has been conducting airstrikes in Syria against government forces, Iranian troops and Hezbollah targets since the eruption of the crisis there in 2011. Strikes have increased following the Israeli war on Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.

On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll of the Israeli airstrikes on Palmyra city on November 20 continues to increase with many people suffering from severe injuries.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of three Syrians and two non-Syrian members of Iranian-backed militias, bringing the number of fatalities to 105.