Wide Arab Participation Expected at Algeria Summit

Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki meets with Algerian officials on Thursday. (Algerian foreign ministry)
Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki meets with Algerian officials on Thursday. (Algerian foreign ministry)
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Wide Arab Participation Expected at Algeria Summit

Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki meets with Algerian officials on Thursday. (Algerian foreign ministry)
Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki meets with Algerian officials on Thursday. (Algerian foreign ministry)

Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki said he discussed with Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad Ramtane Lamamra the logistic arrangements and agenda of the upcoming League summit in Algeria.

In an interview with Algeria Press Service, Zaki said he expects wide participation by Arab leaders at the summit, which is scheduled for November.

He added that he discussed with Lamamra all issues related to the summit.

Everyone is aware that the meeting of Arab leaders at this time is very significant, he stressed, noting that the Arab League hasn’t met in person since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zaki hoped that the summit would achieve at least some of the hopes and aspirations of Arab peoples in issues related to stability, peace and security.

Moreover, he noted that the summit will be held as Algeria marks the anniversary of its revolution against French colonization.

“The Algerians and their Arab brothers will celebrate the occasion together,” Zaki said.

Addressing the Palestinian-Arab “reunion”, which is the slogan of the summit, he remarked that the event will act as a real starting point for more effective Arab work.

The current situation in the Arab world demands that greater efforts be exerted to achieve the reunion, he went on to say.

The Algerian leadership is very keen on this issue, he stressed.

On the division between Palestinian factions, Zaki said this is an “issue that pains us as Arabs.”

Algeria has taken its upon itself to host dialogue between Palestinians ahead of the summit.

A date has not been set yet for the talks.

Zaki stressed that efforts between Arab countries to achieve rapprochement between Palestinians has not ceased and “we hope Algerian efforts will help the years-long division.”



Syrian Police Impose Curfew in Homs after Unrest

Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
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Syrian Police Impose Curfew in Homs after Unrest

Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)

Syrian police have imposed an overnight curfew in the city of Homs, state media reported, after unrest there linked to demonstrations that residents said were led by members of the minority Alawite and Shiite communities.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the demands of the demonstrators nor the degree of disturbance that took place.

Some residents said the demonstrations were linked to pressure and violence in recent days aimed at members of the Alawite minority, a sect long seen as loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled by opposition fighters on Dec. 8.

Spokespeople for Syria’s new ruling administration led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the curfew.

State media said the curfew was being imposed for one night, from 6pm (1500 GMT) local time until 8am on Thursday morning.

The country's new leaders have repeatedly vowed to protect minority religious groups.

Small demonstrations also took place in other areas on or near Syria’s coast, where most of the country’s Alawite minority live, including in the city of Tartous.

The demonstrations took place around the time an undated video was circulated on social networks showing a fire inside an Alawite shrine in the city of Aleppo, with armed men walking around inside and posing near human bodies.

The interior ministry said on its official Telegram account that the video dated back to the opposition offensive on Aleppo in late November and the violence was carried out by unknown groups, adding that whoever was circulating the video now appeared to be seeking to incite sectarian strife.

The ministry also said that some members of the former regime had attacked interior ministry forces in Syria’s coastal area on Wednesday, leaving a number of dead and wounded.