Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi predicted today, Friday, that Syria will soon manage to return to the Arab League, despite the challenges it faces in resolving the ongoing conflict that has persisted for over a decade in the country. In an interview with CNN, al-Safadi stated that "Syria has enough votes among the 22 member states of the league to regain its seat," indicating that "if Syria's membership is approved, it is very likely that President Bashar al-Assad will head the Syrian delegation at the high-level Arab Summit on May 19." He added, "The return to the Arab League will happen. It will be important symbolically, but… this is just a very modest beginning to a process that will be very long and difficult and fraught with challenges due to the complexities of the crisis after 12 years of conflict."
He continued: "Syria's readiness to make real progress in resolving the conflict will help it garner critical Arab support to eventually push for the lifting of Western sanctions, which constitute a major obstacle to starting significant reconstruction efforts." In response to a question about whether Jordan has the support of the United States in its efforts to reintegrate Syria, he said: "I believe so," adding that "Jordan and other Arab countries are constantly discussing the matter with Washington and working to find a solution that aligns with United Nations resolutions."
He concluded: "Many people have suffered from the consequences of the Syrian crisis, including Jordan, and they will be keen to do whatever is necessary to mitigate any threat to Jordan's security. We do not take the threat of drug smuggling lightly. If we do not see effective measures to curb this threat, we will do what is necessary to confront it, including taking military action inside Syria to eliminate this very serious threat not only in Jordan but also in the Gulf Arab states and the world."
