Arab League Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Sudan

Arab League foreign ministers meet during an annual meeting in Cairo, Egypt. AP
Arab League foreign ministers meet during an annual meeting in Cairo, Egypt. AP
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Arab League Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Sudan

Arab League foreign ministers meet during an annual meeting in Cairo, Egypt. AP
Arab League foreign ministers meet during an annual meeting in Cairo, Egypt. AP

The Arab League on Sunday called for a ceasefire in Sudan, urging the Arab ambassadors in Khartoum to act for the restoration of stability by contacting all parties.

The League expressed deep regret for the casualties in the clashes and extended sincere condolences to the victims’ families as well as the Sudanese people.

In a final statement issued after an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the recent developments in the country upon an invitation by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the Arab League stressed the necessity of an "immediate ceasefire … to protect the civilians and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sudan."

The meeting was held at the level of permanent representatives.

The League also emphasized the need for a return to peaceful negotiations and to "establish a new phase that fulfills the ambitions of the brotherly Sudanese people and contributes to reinforcing political and economic security and stability.”

It warned of serious repercussions of the violent escalation in Sudan, "the scope of which is difficult to determine internally and regionally."

The organization said it is ready "to exert efforts to help Sudan end the crisis in a sustainable manner, in a way that serves the interest of the Sudanese people." It further expressed readiness to closely monitor the Sudanese developments and to intensify Arab calls to end the crisis.

The League, at the level of permanent representatives, is in "permanent session to follow up the developments in Sudan,” it said.

It invited all Arab ambassadors in Khartoum to coordinate with each other and establish consistent communication with the Sudanese authorities and all relevant parties to provide the necessary support for the restoration of stability.

It further called on the ambassadors to coordinate with the General Secretariat and the State President of the Council at the ministerial level (Egypt).

Concluding the statement, the League called on Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit to take necessary measures to implement the statement.



Cyprus Can Help Rid Syria of Chemical Weapons, Search for its Missing, Says Top Diplomat

FILE PHOTO: A UN chemical weapons expert, wearing a gas mask, holds a plastic bag containing samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah
FILE PHOTO: A UN chemical weapons expert, wearing a gas mask, holds a plastic bag containing samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah
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Cyprus Can Help Rid Syria of Chemical Weapons, Search for its Missing, Says Top Diplomat

FILE PHOTO: A UN chemical weapons expert, wearing a gas mask, holds a plastic bag containing samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah
FILE PHOTO: A UN chemical weapons expert, wearing a gas mask, holds a plastic bag containing samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah

Cyprus stands ready to help eliminate Syria’s remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and to support a search for people whose fate remains unknown after more than a decade of war, the top Cypriot diplomat said Saturday.

Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said Cyprus’ offer is grounded on its own past experience both with helping rid Syria of chemical weapons 11 years ago and its own ongoing, decades-old search for hundreds of people who disappeared amid fighting between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriots in the 1960s and a 1974 Turkish invasion, The AP reported.

Cyprus in 2013 hosted the support base of a mission jointly run by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to remove and dispose of Syria's chemical weapons.

“As a neighboring country located just 65 miles from Syria, Cyprus has a vested interest in Syria’s future. Developments there will directly impact Cyprus, particularly in terms of potential new migratory flows and the risks of terrorism and extremism,” Kombos told The AP in written replies to questions.

Kombos said there are “profound concerns” among his counterparts across the region over Syria’s future security, especially regarding a possible resurgence of extremist groups like ISIS in a fragmented and polarized society.

“This is particularly critical in light of potential social and demographic engineering disguised as “security” arrangements, which could further destabilize the country,” Kombos said.

The diplomat also pointed to the recent proliferation of narcotics production like the stimulant Captagon that is interconnected with smuggling networks involved in people and arms trafficking.

Kombos said ongoing attacks against Syria’s Kurds must stop immediately, given the role that Kurdish forces have played in combating extremist forces like the ISIS group in the past decade.

Saleh Muslim, a member of the Kurdish Presidential Council, said in an interview that the Kurds primarily seek “equality” enshrined in rights accorded to all in any democracy.

He said a future form of governance could accord autonomy to the Kurds under some kind of federal structure.

“But the important thing is to have democratic rights for all the Syrians and including the Kurdish people,” he said.

Muslim warned that the Kurdish-majority city of Kobani, near Syria’s border with Türkiye, is in “very big danger” of falling into the hands of Turkish-backed forces, and accused Türkiye of trying to occupy it.

Kombos said the international community needs to ensure that the influence Türkiye is trying to exert in Syria is “not going to create an even worse situation than there already is.”

“Whatever the future landscape in Syria, it will have a direct and far-reaching impact on the region, the European Union and the broader international community,” Kombos said.