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28 March 2024

Syria to reject any summit initiative

A man rides his bike past damaged buildings in the old Homs city in northern Syria on March 28. (Reuters)

Published
By Reuters

Damascus will reject any initiative made at an Arab League summit relating to the violence in Syria, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, adding it would only deal with Arab countries individually.

Syria was suspended from the league in November over a violent crackdown on the uprising against President Bashar Al Assad's rule.

The Arab League, meeting in Baghdad this week, is expected to issue a statement on Syria.

"Since its membership was suspended, Syria will only deal with Arab countries based on state-to-state relationships. Therefore we will not deal with any initiative issued by the Arab League at any level," spokesman Jihad Makdisssi said in a statement released to journalists.

Relations between the Arab bloc and Damascus further soured after the Arab League froze a monitoring mission in Syria and proposed a plan for Assad to make a transition from power.

Arab leaders in Baghdad are expected to endorse a six-point proposal from U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan, which seeks a ceasefire and political dialogue in what Iraq called a "last chance" for Syria.

Arab foreign ministers at the summit on Wednesday called for action on the plan. Annan said on Tuesday that Assad had agreed to the proposal, which does not demand the Syrian leader step down, a sticking point for the Syrian opposition which insists any deal must require Assad to leave power.