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1 month ago
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Arab states will seek to avert the threat of a reignited Syrian civil war by starting an open dialogue with all the forces on the ground to ensure any transition is inclusive of all Syrians regardless of ethnicity, Qatar’s foreign ministry has said.
Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s foreign affairs ministry spokesperson, spoke after the leaders of Arab states met again in Doha to assess the sudden overnight collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
He said Arab states were “thankful for the very limited fighting” that preceded the overthrowing of Assad, saying “it makes it easier for international actors to go in and start engaging before any fighting might erupt amongst the parties on the ground”.
He “was encouraged state institutions remain intact, policing, water and electricity remain intact. We are encouraged that the government institutions retain their functions,” he said, adding there was no need for bloodshed.
“No one group, no one party or sect should feel unsafe or excluded in the future of Syria,” he added.
“We should not be complacent about the situation on the ground. Everyone was clear about the need to have open dialogue and to engage all parties on the ground.”
But he admitted it was not clear who held the strongest military forces, or whether the Syrian regime had simply imploded. Either way, he said, the military forces needed to be orchestrated in the coming weeks to avoid fighting among them. He said that required dialogue between interested states and the military groups.
Admitting that the crisis could become reminiscent of other failed Arab spring revolutions such as in Libya, he said: “There is a tendency in the region for good news to turn into bad news. We would love to see a transition to a viable state that embodies the sacrifices of the Syrian people. We also know realistically that there are a lot of challenges. There are a lot of militants on the ground and there is a possibility of Syria becoming a failed state.
“No one can claim right now to know who has military superiority. We do not know the state of the Syrian national army.”
Qatar is one of the few Arab states that did not recognise Assad’s rule and the official Syrian opposition has offices in Doha. But Qatar is also aware that Turkey is likely to prove to be a key player, because it has housed so many Syrian refugees, has close links with militant groups that led the uprising and is determined to push Syrian Kurdish groups away from its border.
He also urged Israel, which borders Syria, not to become involved in any movement on the ground that could be seen as escalatory before national dialogue had started.
He did not say if the largest and potentially most powerful opposition military force, the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), should be taken off the UN terrorist list. It seemed inevitable it would form a part of any transitional force established in Syria, he said.
“We do not deal with them as a preconceived notion that they cannot be reformed. We are encouraged by the mature way they operated in Aleppo; they allowed Kurds safe passage. They are not committing any atrocities in this quick drive south so we are hopeful they will be a reasonable and rational player in the future.”
He said it was for the Syrian people to determine whether Assad should face charges in front of the international criminal court, just as it was for the Syrian people to decide the fate of Russian bases inside Syria.
The Assad regime had “has missed all opportunities to talk and venues to talk, have dialogue with all the people, and have reconciliation. And this is the result of such behaviour. The Syrian people have sacrificed so much that we should not accept the status quo. We are encouraged by the lack of targeting of individuals. Transitional justice comes later when the people have the platform for it.”
Asked about Assad’s whereabouts, he said: “He is in the wind. He is no longer in the city. There has been no confirmation whether he has been received around any capital around the region.”
English (US)