Entire lives are still buried under the debris in the north of Syria. Meanwhile, across the border, in Turkey, the victims of the devastating earthquake risk their health to surrender to mourning and collect the belongings that, like them, have survived. In the neighboring country, on the other hand, the Syrians they regret, again, the abandonment. Between grief and complaint, they watch his leader unfold between smiles from the top of his throne. bashar el assad you are trying to make your blessing the tragedy that has killed nearly 40,000 people in both countries. They have returned calls of regional leaders, has entered the aid and the donations of western statesthey have landed planes of countries, until now, enemies, and even United Nations they have met with him offering the Syrian people tools for survival. Asad lives busy days, but somehow these are his best days.
“The Syrian president tried to promote yourself as the person who allowed the aid to enter Syria and immediately sought to benefit from the earthquake by starting his campaign to lift the sanctions& rdquor ;, he explains Mohammed Al Abdullahthe executive director of Center for Justice and Accountability for Syria (CJRCS).
“The failure of the UN to deliver aid across borders not only resulted in thousands of deaths, but also promoted the political image of Asad,” says this former political prisoner from his refuge in Washington. While the world watched in sorrow at the magnitude of the tragedy that occurred on February 6, Asad was surprised with calls and offers after more than one decade of isolation international and regional.
President Assad is in Oman. The second gulf Arab country he visited after UAE. The entire region and most of the world is now understanding that Syria won, and it is wiser to be friends with a victor than to remain his enemy. Kiss your regime-change wet dreams goodbye. pic.twitter.com/yiHT8gOdtw
— Hadi Nasrallah (@HadiNasrallah) February 20, 2023
The Arab leadersAs the egyptian president Abdelfatá el Sisi or the king of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, they called him within 24 hours of the earthquake. The UN aid chief, Martin Griffithsmet with the Syrian president in Damascus, offering assistance and negotiating the opening of new accesses to the country to deliver it.
The airports of Syria they have worked in a few days more than in the last decade with the arrival of aid from more than a dozen countries. On the runways, you could see Russian, Chinese or Iranian flags, allies of Assad, but, for the first time in 12 years, a saudi plane landed in territory under regime control. During the conflict, Saudi Arabia it had only sent aid and weapons to the rebels who wanted to overthrow Assad.
But the Syrian dictator has not changed. “It’s no secret in Syria that Assad’s gang is stealing a lot of help in kind that arrived at the Aleppo airport and is now being sold openly on the market,” denounces Abdallah. “This is further proof that any program aimed at stability and reconstruction in the long run it shouldn’t pass through the Assad government in its current form; otherwise most of it will be looted& rdquor ;, he adds during the interview with this newspaper. Still, the Syrian leader is in one of his best moments of the past decade as his circle of friends grows.
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During this week, he has made one of his first trips as head of state. destiny has been Oman where the sultan who rules has received with honors. In 2012, however, Oman joined other Gulf states in deciding to reduce or close their embassies there in response to a government crackdown on anti-government protests. In 2020, by contrast, Oman became the first Gulf country to reinstate its ambassador. Also in Syria, during these days, Asad has received a visit from Jordanian Foreign MinisterAyman Safadi, for the first time from the start of the conflict. His Emirati counterpart has also returned to Syria.
Conscious of the importance of being, once again, accepted on the regional scene, the Syrian president thanked in his first speech after the earthquake to “our Arab brothers & rdquor; who have contributed to “strengthening our capacities & rdquor ;. “There is no doubt that Assad will benefit from the commitment of some countries who are trying to send aid to the Syrians, but that political gain will be limited& rdquor ;, says Abdallah. Although he has started with the neighborhood, it will take Asad a long time to shake off the status of pariah in the international arena. “Diplomatic engagement is limited to a few few governments in the gulf that they had already publicly committed to Assad before the earthquake & rdquor ;, adds the director of CJRCS.