In a statement to the Agence France-Presse (AFP), Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a UAE analyst, announced that the UAE is leading efforts towards reconciliation with its former enemies and turning them into future allies. The President of UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan confirmed this statement with a warm welcome to Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
Abu Dhabi believes that the time has come for reconciliation with Assad and for Syria to return to the Arab League and the Arab world. In return, Damascus is betting on greater support from Abu Dhabi for the Syrian economy, as evidenced by the presence of the Economy and Foreign Trade Minister in the delegation that accompanied Assad to the UAE.
If Syria's return to the Arab League is the main topic of the meeting, will it be through reconstruction?
The Wall Street Journal reported that Arab countries, led by Jordan, proposed to provide billions of dollars in aid to rebuild Syria and pledged to pressure the US and European countries to lift economic sanctions on the Assad regime.
However, in return, Assad must cooperate with the Syrian opposition, accept the deployment of Arab forces to protect returning refugees, stop drug smuggling, and limit Iranian expansion in Syria.
The talks are still in the early stages, and Saudi Arabia, the strongest Arab country, provides additional strength to the discussions. The recent restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia indicates that the latter is open to changing the course of geopolitical alliances in the region, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Will the diplomatic efforts that gained momentum after the earthquake in Syria result in the restoration of Damascus' relations with Middle Eastern countries who still refuse to normalize relations with the Syrian regime?