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Jordan Calls for Syria's Return to Arab League at Algeria Summit

Christmas decoration seen in Damascus, Syria. (AFP)
Christmas decoration seen in Damascus, Syria. (AFP)
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Jordan Calls for Syria's Return to Arab League at Algeria Summit

Christmas decoration seen in Damascus, Syria. (AFP)
Christmas decoration seen in Damascus, Syria. (AFP)

Jordan's parliament Speaker Abdul Karim al-Daghmi called for Syria to be fully reinstated to the Arab League during the upcoming summit in Algeria.

"We, as the Arab Parliament, must put pressure on our governments and ask our leaders to green-light Syria's return to the Arab League when next summit convenes in Algeria, and to allow its delegation to participate in the Arab Parliament sessions as well," Daghmi said during a press conference on the sidelines of a session of the Arab Parliament in Amman on Thursday.

The next Arab summit is scheduled to be hel in Algeria in March.

"It is now high time for Syria to return to its Arab origins and rejoin the Arab League," said Daghmi, adding: "We must build on victories achieved by our brethren in Syria and Iraq over terrorist groups, step up our efforts in support of the unity, and security and stability of our nations as well as the territorial integrity of our countries."

In October, Jordan's King Abdullah II received a call from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the first conversation between the two leaders since the war erupted in Syria.

Observers believe the phone call signals the beginning of the end of Damascus' diplomatic isolation with Arab states.

Jordanian authorities recently reopened the Jaber-Nassib border crossing with Syria for travelers and cargo after about two months of its closure due to a limited military escalation in Syria's southern Daraa governorate.

Arab countries have been slowly restoring relations with Syria in recent years years.

The UAE has been at the forefront of efforts by some Arab states to normalize ties with Damascus and earlier this year called for Syria to be readmitted to the Arab League. After seven years of diplomatic estrangement, it reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018.

The UAE's foreign minister confirmed months ago that Syria's return to the Arab League is in its interest and the interest of other countries in the region.

The Arab League suspended Syria's membership after the outbreak of the war in 2011. Several Arab states cut ties with Damascus, including the UAE, while others, including Jordan, maintained limited relations, except Oman.

Syria has denounced the move as "illegal and a violation of the organization's charter."

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Mikati Instructs Lebanon’s Institutions to Cooperate with HTS

 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
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Mikati Instructs Lebanon’s Institutions to Cooperate with HTS

 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).

Communication channels have been opened between the Lebanese state and the Syrian Interim Government. Diplomats conveyed a message from HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to Lebanese officials, stating that the new Syrian government has no issues with the Lebanese state.
HTS said that its problem lingers with Hezbollah, which supported the Assad regime in its attacks on the Syrian people, occupied Syrian territories, and displaced its residents.
A source close to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicated that the prime minister received the Syrian message “very positively” and began working toward establishing stable relations with Syria. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the source disclosed that Mikati had instructed all official institutions to collaborate with HTS, which now oversees security in Syrian territories, and to coordinate on mutual security matters between the two nations.
The first tangible result of this cooperation was a meeting held on Wednesday between a delegation from HTS and the Lebanese General Security agency at the latter’s office near the Masnaa border crossing in the Bekaa Valley. The talks resulted in agreements on coordination frameworks to ensure security on both sides of the border.
The source explained that Mikati’s primary focus is on organizing and securing the borders. Recently, he received reports from the Lebanese Army indicating that Syrian authorities had closed 80% of the illegal crossings previously used by smugglers. The source described this as a reassuring development.
In a sign of reconciliation, the source close to Mikati noted that Turkish and Qatari envoys delivered a message confirming that the new Syrian government does not intend to revisit the conflicts of the Syrian war or seek revenge against Bashar al-Assad’s allies, including Hezbollah. The message stressed that Syria has no plans to retaliate against Hezbollah for its actions during the war, such as detaining Syrian opposition figures in Lebanon, provided that Hezbollah withdraws from Syria and ceases all military and security activities there.
Further reflecting this shift, a security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that HTS had previously facilitated the safe transfer of dozens of Hezbollah fighters and their families from Syria to Lebanon without harming or targeting them.
Despite these developments, there has yet to be any official communication between the Lebanese government and Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the transitional leader of Syria, even though two weeks have passed since the fall of the Assad regime.
Former Lebanese minister Rashid Derbas commented that Mikati had recently made an exploratory visit to Ankara to understand how the situation in Syria is unfolding. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Derbas stated that the armed factions now responsible for security in Syria face a major test of their ability to maintain stability until a new political authority is established through free and fair elections reflecting the will of the Syrian people. He noted that the Syrian Army no longer has a presence on the ground.
Derbas added that while Syrian statements about relations with Lebanon have been positive, Lebanon must remain cautious and alert to the possibility of chaos erupting in Syria and spilling over into its borders.