The Arab foreign ministers convened in Jeddah on Wednesday in preparation for the Arab summit scheduled to be held next Friday in the same Saudi city with the participation of Syria.
Syria was represented at the meeting by a high-level delegation headed by the country’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who confirmed that President Bashar Assad will attend Friday’s summit.
It is worth noting that the summit this year is characterized by Syria return to the Arab League after around a decade of suspension during the terrorist war on the Syrian people, army and state backed by some Arab regimes.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf handed over the presidency to the Kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during the meeting.
“Our meeting is taking place today within special regional circumstance and rapid international developments that require continuing work to unite our word in order to overcome obstacles and challenges” Attaf, said.
Attaf stressed the need to intensify efforts to strengthen joint Arab action and neutralize the marginal tensions that divide our countries.
Attaf went on to say that Algeria welcomes the resumption of Syria’s participation in the Arab League meetings, which reflects positively on strengthening joint Arab action.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said ” I welcome Syria’s participation in our meeting today, adding that the world is going through challenges that require us to unite in facing them.
In turn, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that “We welcome the resumption of Syria’s participation in the meetings of the League of Arab States, and we hope that its return represents the end of the crisis in it, adding that We must work as one bloc, and this is what gives weight to our positions and provides a protective umbrella for our region in light of international changes.
Aboul Gheit affirmed that Syria is a country that has a prominent civilizational contribution to the region throughout history. It is a founding country for the university, and we are all looking forward to strengthening its role and presence.
Lebanon-Syria Meeting
The Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib met on the sidelines of the preparatory meetings in Jeddah with his Syrian counterpart Al-Mikdad, reviewing the bilateral relations.
Mikdad added that “we touched upon the issue of the refugees in Lebanon and coordination between delegations of Syria and Lebanon in the field of the two countries concern,” asserting that “the atmospheres are good.”
Source: Al-Manar English Website
