“The demand for Syria’s return to the Arab League has become a national Arab demand, in order to cut off the path of those countries that are running wild in the Arab homeland, especially in Syria. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia spearheaded the movement to restore Saudi-Syrian relations, even though it knew that the United States was against it.”
The long diplomatic marathon on Syria’s return to the Arab League culminated on May 7 at the Arab League Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Cairo, Egypt. Syria rejoined the Arab League after a 12-year hiatus, with the silent approval of the Arab states that had opposed its readmission for the past two years.
Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is expected to attend the Arab League Leaders’ Summit today. We spoke to Muhammed Zahid Gül, the General Coordinator of Independent Turkish, about Syria’s return to the League, what it means for the region and the next steps to be taken.
Recalling former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s call for “creative chaos” and pointing to the role of the US in the process of Syria’s expulsion from the Arab League, Gül emphasizes that the policy of “toppling Bashar al-Assad” has lost its grounds. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is aware that the US vision of Syria’s future may not be in the interest of Syrians and Arabs,” Gül said, adding that bad relations and rupture are against the nature of normal relations between Arab countries and Syria. Gül said that its return to the Arab League would open the door for Syria to re-establish relations with all Arab countries, even if it is late with some of them.
Here are Mohammad Zahid Gül’s responses to Harici’s questions:
“Foreign troops in Syria are a weakness of the Arab homeland”
- Syria’s return to the Arab League undoubtedly strengthens Damascus’ position. But what will Arab countries gain from Damascus re-sitting at the table? What are the expectations of Saudi Arabia and other countries that have begun to normalize their relations with Damascus?
No doubt, Syria’s return to the League of Arab States and the normalization of relations with Arab countries is a win for Syria and for all Arab countries without exception. However, the circumstances of more than a decade of conflict in Syria were an important reason for most Arab countries to change their attitude towards the Assad regime. Especially after Assad started to use the army and military forces against people that initially demanded peaceful change.
It was the US position that encouraged Arab countries to expel Syria from the Arab League in 2012. The United States, under the leadership of US Secretary of State at the time, Hillary Clinton, led the state efforts that materialized in the Geneva 1 and Geneva 2 Conferences and their aftermath before mid-2012. The goal, they argued, was to ensure the transition of political power in Syria politically, under US international supervision, and not through a dramatic collapse, as in Libya, or the ensuing turmoil that would affect countries in the region. Qatar first supported these US plans, then the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But the Arab countries did not take the US serious about changing the Assad regime. Then Iran intervened militarily in Syria at the end of 2012 in favor of the Assad regime. At the end of 2015, Russia’s military intervention changed the balance of power on Syrian territory and the military effort against the Assad regime lost its foothold. Syria has thus become a point of weakness in the entire Arab homeland due to the large military presence of the US, Russia, Iran, Türkiye and others.
This was one of the manifestations of Arab weakness in general. With the emergence of global trends of shifting the balance of power and major international conflicts in Ukraine, Taiwan, Yemen, Libya and elsewhere, wisdom has shown itself to counsel that there is no point in fostering hopeless conflicts in Syria or elsewhere. The demand for Syria’s return to the Arab League has become a national Arab demand, in order to cut off the path of the countries that are running the show in the Arab homeland, especially in Syria. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia spearheaded the movement to restore Saudi-Syrian relations, knowing that the United States was against it. This had to be under inexpressible conditions. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also conducted a really wise diplomacy in improving its relations with Russia, Iran and Iraq. This is something that serves the interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab countries.
“Those opposing are supporters of opposition groups”
- What will the Arab League’s function be in normalization? Many of its member states like Qatar and Morocco continue to object. Taking this into account, can we say that normalization has certain limits? Will relations with Syria proceed at the level of individual states?
The Arab League has a big role to play in normalizing relations with Damascus. If the Arab League had not severed relations with Syria, there would be no need to talk about Syria’s disagreements with Arab countries. Syria’s return to the Arab League will open the door for Syria to re-establish relations with all Arab countries, albeit belatedly with some of them.
The Arab countries that opposed Syria’s return to the Arab League or the normalization of relations with the Assad regime were at the forefront of the Arab countries that supported the Syrian opposition groups with the encouragement of the United States during the years of armed, political and diplomatic conflict since 2011.
After the United States raised its voice for the imposition of international and American sanctions against the Assad regime and its senior security, military and economic officials, both in the name of the Caesar Act passed by the US Congress and other international sanctions, Arab countries have not only faced the positions of some Arab countries to prevent Syria’s return. They were now also confronted with the US position, which sought to impose its political vision of Syria’s future in a way that would serve both the US and Israel, even if it was years away. The US does not care if the conflict in Syria continues for decades to come. This runs counter to the interests of the Arab League, especially now that the US policy of trying to divide Syria or keep it under a large international military presence, especially a US, Russian, Iranian and Turkish military presence, has come to light.
If some Arab countries insist that Syria’s return to the Arab League should be unanimous, then it becomes inevitable for some other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, to try to improve their relations with Syria individually, even though they would prefer that the return take place at the level of all Arab countries.
“If it conflicts with US interests, the Kingdom will side with Arab interests”
- Washington has objected countless times to normalization with Assad, but Riyadh has conducted and led the normalization diplomacy. How possible is Syria’s reconstruction or Damascus’ hoped-for economic ties while US sanctions remain in place?
For years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been determining its path and policy through a unique and independent Saudi political decision. This has manifested itself in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s independent policy on oil prices and export levels, even if it is contrary or detrimental to the US vision on oil. Likewise, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has refused to increase the pace of confrontation with Iran. It has also kept its position neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war, improved its economic relations with China, and refused to normalize its relations with Israel unless it commits to a just and comprehensive political settlement of the Palestinian issue.
Saudi politics today is shaped in Riyadh, not in other capitals. If the interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in normalizing relations with Syria clash with the specific interests of the United States, then Saudi Arabia will do what is in the interest of the Kingdom and the Arabs. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is aware that the US vision for the future of Syria may not be in the interests of Syrians and Arabs. The Kingdom does not oppose the United States on Syria, but it does not share its vision in all its details. Especially with regard to prolonging the crisis indefinitely.
If the Assad regime seeks economic ties with Saudi Arabia solely for the sake of Syria’s reconstruction, without assuming responsibilities that protect Arab national security, let it be known that the Kingdom will not oppose international or American sanctions laws, and reconstruction will not be a priority in Saudi Arabia’s vision of normalizing relations with the Assad regime.
“Creative chaos is no coincidence”
- Although disagreements between countries in the region persist, the old conflict-oriented relationship is giving way to diplomacy. What kind of changes can this shift open the door to in the region?
Bad relations and rupture were not the nature of normal relations between Arab countries and Syria, nor between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Syria. This is something that happened more than a decade ago, and the reason is the civil war in Syria. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hoped for a peaceful and political settlement of this war. But when the Assad regime brought Iran and the Revolutionary Guards to fight in Syria and threatened Arab national security, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab League were enraged. US and Israeli plans were not far from investing in this conflict in Syria and elsewhere for their own benefit. After a decade, these conflicts have reached a dead end. This is because the US strategy has sought to chart its policies in exhausted countries and devastating civil wars. It is no coincidence that civil wars broke out in many Arab countries after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for “creative chaos” in 2006. After a decade of failed civil conflicts, the Arab rulers have decided to put an end to it. Either the region and the Arab countries would be left in military conflicts and civil wars that were devouring the region and threatening other Arab countries, or they would put an end to them, even if it conflicted with the interests of the US, Israel or others.
“Palestine as a condition for normalization with Israel”
- The biggest loser in the normalization process in the region seems to be Israel, which is still holding out hope for normalization with the countries of the region, especially Saudi Arabia. Is it possible for Israel to normalize with Saudi Arabia?
Since the King Abdullah initiative was launched and adopted by the Arab summits in Beirut and elsewhere, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made it clear that it is not opposed to peace with Israel. But on one condition: The state of Israel will commit to a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue and seek to normalize peaceful relations with Arab countries. The Kingdom does not accept normalizing relations with Israel individually and in violation of Palestinian rights. It must also put an end to Israel’s ambitions in the Arab region. Saudi Arabia’s efforts to normalize relations with Syria are diplomatic efforts in this context. Strengthening the positions of Arab countries will benefit all Arab countries, especially with regard to the normalization of Arab relations with Israel. Israel believes that the fragmentation of the Arab countries and the weakness of their positions serve its interests better, especially in preventing the normalization of Syria-Saudi Arabia relations. This normalization between Syria and Saudi Arabia requires the approval of the countries that have supported the Assad regime over the past decade, including Iran, which Israel opposes.
- Do you expect a change in Tel Aviv’s strategy towards Iran, for example, to risk direct confrontation?
As long as Iran has the military capabilities to strike deep inside Israel with ballistic missiles, Israel will not dare to attack Iran. If Israel only attacks Iran’s reactors, it will first have to resort to securing US military support. In the current circumstances, this is also met with US opposition. Because the US military presence is under Iranian fire in Iraq, in the Persian Gulf waters, in Syria and elsewhere.
