The UAE has invited Bashar al-Assad to attend the COP 28 climate summit in Dubai, the latest move by countries in the region to rehabilitate the Syrian president, but which could cause unease for Western leaders and climate advocates.
Syria, which was readmitted to the Arab League this month, received an invitation from a UAE representative at its embassy in Damascus on Monday, according to the Syrian state news agency.
The call for a rally later this year will cause concern in those countries which have expressed contempt for the pace of reconciliation with the Syrian leaderwhose regime was accused of war crimes during the country’s devastating civil war.
It would be his first global summit since before war broke out in 2011, and it has the potential for awkward meetings with Western leaders who have sanctioned his regime and called for his removal.
The holding of the UN climate summit in the UAE was controversial from the outset, after the head of the state oil company, Sultan Al Jaber, was appointed chairman of COP28and the inclusion of fossil fuel industry leaders as formal participants.
“COP28 is committed to an inclusive COP process that produces transformative solutions,” said a COP 28 spokesperson. “This can only happen if we have everyone in the room.” The meeting would be a “key opportunity” to steer progress towards delivering on the goals and ambitions of the Paris climate accord, the spokesman added.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia led Arab efforts to rehabilitate the Syrian regime, which was able to reassert its control over most of Syria after receiving military support from Iran and Russia during the war civil.
While Syria’s readmission to the Arab League is a largely symbolic move, analysts see it as a push for Assad, who they say is seeking rehabilitation on the global stage without having to make significant concessions.
Diplomats said some states, including Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt, had previously opposed Syria rejoining the league. Opponents believe Assad has done little to rehabilitate himself from the civil war that began when he brutally cracked down on anti-government protests during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.
Regional diplomats said more concrete steps were needed before most Arab states could support normalization of relations with Syria.
Opponents of Syria’s readmission to the Arab League wanted the re-engagement to happen through a gradual process, hoping they could get Assad pledges on humanitarian issues, refugees and curbing the illegal narcotics trade which have become an economic lifeline for Damascus.
While Turkey and some Gulf countries tried to overthrow Assad during the initial stages of the civil war, he managed to regain control of most of the country by 2016 with the support of Moscow and Tehran.
The rise of Islamic extremist groups in the fight against the regime has also raised concerns among some Gulf monarchies, including the UAE, which oppose the regional threat posed by political Islam.
Remnants of the opposition still control the northwestern pockets of the devastated nation, while US-backed Kurdish militias control the northeast.
The regime remains under Western sanctions and millions of Syrians have been internally displaced or have sought refuge in foreign countries. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the civil war, during which the regime has bombed and tortured civilians.
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