Baladi News – (Mona Ali)
In a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov on Monday, Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League, said that "the Arab League stands with the unity of the Syrian territories and the continuation of the security zones without a political solution threatens the unity of Syria."
The statement of the Arab official is consistent with the vision of the former president of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, who emphasized a couple of days ago that the lack of a political solution in Syria is a prelude to dismemberment.
Despite the consistent statements, intentions are hugely different. Russia, who always expresses its commitment to the unity of Syrian territories, supports the Iranian militias that practice demographic change as well as the Kurdish separatists whom it protects and controls the Syrian coast as a whole.
Interestingly, the Arab League, which has not contributed in any way whatsoever to a solution in Syria, says that it adopts the Russian vision today, neglecting its obligations towards a principal founding member state.
This comes amid a decreased Arab role in the Syrian case. Although Russia said that Turkey represents the Arab states that support the opposition, the absence of an Arab role is increasingly questioned.
It is noteworthy that the meeting between Mohammad bin Salman, the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia, and Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, addressed mainly the oil and energy issues, whereas the Syrian case was discussed on the sidelines, and no developments or changes in attitudes were reported by media.