At a conference in Jordan on the situation in Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar jointly called for a “peaceful transfer of power” on Saturday. Syria must not “decline into chaos,” they write afterwards. They advocate free elections under the supervision of the United Nations and the preservation of government institutions.
The ministers of the eight Arab countries are also against the advance of Israeli soldiers into a buffer zone in southwestern Syria, which dates from after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The countries are calling on the United Nations Security Council (UN) to oppose this. to take ‘necessary measures’.
There was no representation from Syria itself present at the consultations in Jordan. Russia and Iran, allies of the fallen regime of President Bashar al-Assad, were not invited. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, the UN envoy for Syria and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken did attend.
Blinken said afterwards that there was agreement on the need for an “inclusive and representative” government in Syria. The country should lead the transition process towards this itself. Blinken also reported that Washington has had “direct contact” with the new ruler. This would include Austin Tice, a missing American journalist who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012.
More air raids
Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to carry out attacks in Syria. Bombings took place on several targets in the vicinity of the capital Damascus on Saturday morning, the UK-based monitoring organization reported. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). This would involve air attacks on, among other things, a military airport and a research institution.