Arab states will start dialogue with all forces in Syria to prevent reignition of war, says Qatar
The Guardian|December 09, 2024
Qatar has said 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 as the Turkish foreign minister said the formation of a new inclusive government in Damascus would allow millions of refugees to return home.
Patrick Wintour

Both countries were backers of the Syrian opposition in the civil war that began in 2011, and are likely to have a key role in aspects of Syria's future.

Qatar's foreign affairs ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, said Arab leaders meeting this weekend in Doha were "thankful for the very limited fighting" that preceded Bashar al-Assad's overthrow. "It makes it easier for international actors to go in and start engaging," he said.

The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, urged the international community to support Syrians and said a new administration must be established in an orderly manner. "It is time to unite and reconstruct the country," he said.

Turkey, home to more than 2 million Syrian refugees, has emerged as the biggest external beneficiary of Assad's fall, though there are fears about the destabilising potential of fighting between Turkish-backed forces and US-backed Syrian Kurds.

Russia, which has a military base in Syria, has been dealt a severe blow, as has Iran, which operated in Syria for 14 years as Assad's military enforcer and ideological support.

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