Sudan, Palestine at the Top of Jeddah Summit Files

With the ongoing preparations for the Arab League summit in Jeddah on Friday, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, spoke with great optimism about what he described as a “summit of renewal and change.”

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Zaki noted that the Arab foreign ministers would convene on Wednesday to put the final touches on the agenda, saying: “Everything will be ready before the summit for approval, and we will move forward with the Arab action, under the presidency of Saudi Arabia, as of May 19.”

Saudi efforts

The assistant secretary-general of the Arab League asserted that the Saudi presidency of the Arab Summit would provide a great impetus for the Arabs.

“Saudi Arabia is witnessing good and promising diplomatic and political movement, and its presidency of the Arab summit will be active and keen on Arab interests,” he stated.

The Jeddah Summit files

The Sudanese file will top the agenda of the Jeddah summit, according to Zaki, who expressed hope that efforts to stop the armed clash would be crowned with success.

“We have all followed the Saudi-American effort that culminated in reaching a truce, but we hope for more arduous work to establish a permanent cease-fire,” he said, pointing to the creation of an Arab contact group, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Arab League secretary-general.

“We expect the committee to meet at the level of foreign ministers on the sidelines of the summit, to discuss the means to move forward to achieve this goal,” he added.

In addition to Sudan, Zaki said that the Palestinian file would also be among the Arab officials’ priorities.

He emphasized other important topics, including the relations that have begun to take a new shape between the Arab states on the one hand, and some regional countries, including Iran and Türkiye, on the other.

Syria’s return to the Arab League

Zaki called for considering the return of Syria to the Arab League as the beginning of a new phase in dealing with the situation in the country.

He said: “Over the course of 12 years, the Arab League dealt with the Syrian crisis based on the fact that the government in Damascus suspended its participation in all the activities of the League. Now this stage is over.”

According to the assistant secretary-general, all countries had the impression that the Arab League was completely absent from any endeavors to help Syria rise from its crisis, and to find a political solution that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people.

“The Arab side discovered that the international community, perhaps due to successive events, has begun to give less priority to the Syrian file. Of course, many things have happened, including the Ukraine war and others. This has caused the repercussions of the Syrian crisis to largely affect neighboring countries, in terms of drug trade, terrorism and refugees. Those are very pressing issues in the states neighboring Syria and other Arab countries,” the ambassador remarked.

Zaki expressed hope that the newly-established mechanism and the Arab committee that was recently formed to follow up on the Syrian file would open a new chapter in the Arab dealing with Syria and help the Syrian people overcome their crises.

Relations with Iran

According to the senior diplomat, the Arab League sees the Saudi-Iranian agreement as positive and may contribute to stability in the region if Iran’s intentions are sincere.

He continued: “If intentions are sincere and commitments are implemented, we hope that this region will witness some improvement in the relationship between the Arab countries on the one hand, and Iran on the other.”

Zaki noted that relations between the Arab world and Iran in recent history were “full of negative interference.”

“But we want to open a new page, and this agreement is like a new chapter. If intentions are sincere, we can achieve a lot for the sake of the peoples of the region,” he stated.

The role of the Arab League and its reform

Zaki tried to differentiate between repeated criticisms of the Arab League performance and calls for reform, saying that the two matters were separate.

“With regard to the presence of the Arab League in Arab files and crises, we have tried and are trying as much as possible for the flag of the Arab League to be present in all forums, and for it to have an opinion and contribution to any Arab crisis or problem,” he underlined.

The senior diplomat explained: “But how can you deal with a crisis that has been thrown at the door of the Security Council, and then say that the League has not assumed its role! If the issue was brought up to the Security Council, what can the Arab League do about it? ... This is unfair.”

The assistant secretary-general said that calls for reform were “intended, to a large extent, to obstruct” the work of the Arab League.

“But tell me about the countries that do not pay their dues and contributions to the League (we do not want to name them). Does this matter fall in the interest of the Arab League or not? Does this enable it to perform the roles entrusted to it? The word reform is beautiful, sounds nice and it is used in many forums, but tell me what is the problem that we want to deal with and I will tell you whether it deserves reform or not,” Zaki stated.

He cited an example, saying that before 2005, the Arab League was constantly criticized for not voting on decisions and contenting itself with consensus.

“The Arab League adopted the voting system since 2005, that is, 18 years ago, but this system was not used once,” he remarked.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Anatolii Petrenko, stressed that his country’s “top priority is energy support in multiple ways,” pointing to preparatory measures between Saudi Arabia and Ukraine concerning a Saudi aid package, most of which consists of energy equipment.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Petrenko said that the Kingdom has been assisting Ukrainian civilians since the early days of the “full-scale Russian invasion,” as he described it. He said Saudi aid “has helped provide decent living conditions for our people, who have been forced by the war to relocate to safe areas within the country. It has also helped us maintain citizens' access to medical services and sustain social infrastructure.”
The ambassador emphasized the difficult period Ukraine is facing due to “energy shortages caused by regular Russian attacks on critical infrastructure,” which previously ensured daily needs for urban and municipal areas. He expressed concern about the approaching winter season and the severe drop in temperatures across the country.
Petrenko pointed to the need for energy resources, as well as access to light, water and heat, to enable the Ukrainian agricultural sector to continue contributing to global and regional food security.
He expressed his country’s firm belief in the importance of Saudi Arabia’s support to bring energy self-sufficiency in Ukraine, presently and in the long term.”
He added: “Through our united efforts, we can enhance the green energy agenda by smartly utilizing diverse renewable energy sources as key resources that can give us complete energy independence.”
The Ukrainian ambassador described the Saudi friendship as “an Arab generosity.” He noted that both Ukraine and the Kingdom were jointly studying “the latest innovations and sustainable technologies, such as combined heat and power plants and piston turbines, which could offset energy losses in various regions of Ukraine and thus prevent humanitarian crises in the winter season for hundreds of thousands of people.”
On the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day, Petrenko stated that his country “stands firmly to celebrate another anniversary of its independence, while appreciating the immense contributions and aid provided by international partners and friends, including Saudi Arabia, which holds a prominent position in leading humanitarian efforts in the region and encourages others to follow the same approach.”
“This represents a success story that will open a new chapter in energy resilience, which helps us achieve national independence,” he underlined.
The ambassador added that Ukraine highly values its bilateral relations with the Kingdom.
“On behalf of my country, I express my gratitude to Saudi Arabia, both the government and the people, for everything they are doing to alleviate the humanitarian challenges facing civilians today,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Riyadh continues to send planes carrying tons of humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRELIEF).
This follows an agreement and memorandum of understanding signed by both sides last year, which included providing an additional humanitarian aid package to Ukraine amounting to $400 million, as well as emergency medical and shelter aid valued at $10 million for refugees from Ukraine to neighboring countries, particularly Poland, in coordination with the Polish government and UN organizations.

Sudan, Palestine at the Top of Jeddah Summit Files