Arab states demand withdrawal of foreign forces from Syria during Jordan Meet
By Aishwarya Nair | First Published May 2, 2023, 2:50 PM ISTJordan hosted the summit, which was the first of its type since Syria was expelled from the Arab League in 2011.
The foreign ministers of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq said on Monday following a conference in Amman that the Syrian government must reinstate the rule of law over the entire nation, which would mean expelling foreign armed groups and terrorists from Syrian land.
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Jordan hosted the summit, which was the first of its type since Syria was expelled from the Arab League in 2011, according to reports from Amman. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad spoke with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi about refugee issues, border security, and "water issues" before to the multilateral meeting.
The five ministers demanded "ending the presence of terrorist organisations" as well as "armed groups" in Syria and "neutralising their ability to threaten regional and international security" in a joint statement released by official news media. Additionally, they vowed to "support Syria and its institutions in establishing control over the entire country and enforcing the rule of law."
Faisal Mekdad visited Saudi Arabia a few weeks prior to the summit in Amman, where he received the nation's support for Syria's territorial integrity. Currently, some parts of northern Syria are under the control of militants with Turkish support, and the northeast is ruled by Kurdish militias with US support. Additionally, there are a small number of US troops in Syria who are in charge of the vast majority of the nation's oil wells.
In 2011, rebels led by Saudi Arabia and the US launched an uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad, including terrorists connected to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). Eventually, the Damascus government was able to defeat the rebels with help from Russia and Iran. In spite of recent efforts by Syria's neighbours and regional powers to deepen their ties with Damascus, the US continues to pursue a regime change in the country.
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