The Arab Affairs Committee of Egypt’s post-coup parliament has announced in an exciting development that the Al-Assad regime’s vacant seat at the Arab League is no longer “acceptable”.
Syria’s absence and “the continuation of its vacant seat at the Arab League is no longer acceptable,” the committee said. This was considered by observers as a clear Egyptian call for the return of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to occupy the seat.
The committee also called on the Syrian regime to restore its seat at the Arab League, describing the current situation as totally ‘unacceptable’.
The Arab Affairs Committee stated that the strategic ties and mutual struggle shared by both countries make it necessary to positively intervene in the Syrian case.
This development came in a statement issued by the Arab Affairs Committee following a meeting held Monday, which was mostly biased towards the Syrian regime, in anticipation of the Arab summit scheduled on March 29.
The committee’s stance is in line with the Egyptian regime’s position, led by the coup leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who does not recognize the Syrian revolution, not caring about the crimes and abuses committed by Al-Assad’s regime to stay in power at the expense of millions of Syrians, who have been killed, detained, and displaced.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia rift on the Syrian issue
However, the committee’s opinion is not surprising but the fact that the al-Sisi regime is making such a public demand is an indication of how big the rift is between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Last October, Egypt voted for a Russian draft U.N. Security Council resolution, calling for a ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo but ignoring devastating bombing of the embattled city of Aleppo, has sparked an online backlash and wide condemnations.
The Saudi envoy to the UN, Abdullah al-Muallami, dubbed Egypt’s stance kowtowing to Russia on a UN resolution on Syria, and called it as “painful.”
“Stances by Senegal and Malaysia were much closer to the agreed Arab decision,” said Muallami, in comparison to the Arab League-member Egypt.
The envoy said it was a “farce” to see a decision vetoed by four members when it received a “strong” backing by 11 members of the Security Council.
“It is a dark day for the Syrian people,” he said. “But Syrians do not know darkness. They will win.”
