the Gulf

The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said that he “does not know whether Syria will return to the Arab League or not,” and that “in his capacity as Secretary-General of the League, he did not receive any letters stating that an extraordinary meeting would be held to discuss the matter.”

And he indicated that “in the event of agreement on the return, an extraordinary meeting will be called at any moment at the level of Arab foreign ministers.”

Aboul Gheit indicated, in a televised interview, reported by the Middle East News Agency yesterday, that he had “received a phone call from Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi regarding the ministerial meeting that was held in Amman recently, and he informed him of its (goals and results)”, explaining that “A group of Arab countries has the right to meet to discuss an issue that preoccupies them.” He expressed his belief that “taking the Syrian seat in the Arab League will take a long time and gradual steps.”

Aboul Gheit explained that “the mechanism for Syria’s return to the Arab League has a specific legal context in the Charter of the Arab League.” Freezing its membership, or suspending membership.

Aboul Gheit expected that the Arab summit scheduled to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on May 19, will have “an imprint on the Arab situation in general,” and that it would witness “the largest presence of Arab leaders and foreign ministers.” He said, “There is great hope that it will have specific imprints.” And it has an impact on the Arab situation ».

Regarding the situation in Lebanon, Aboul Gheit said, “It is possible that there will be a president for Lebanon during the coming period,” calling on everyone to “bear responsibility towards their country and that the interest of the country should transcend private interests.”
Aboul Gheit expects a “fingerprint” of the Arab summit in Saudi Arabia

Despite the declared truce in Sudan, clashes raged between the army and the Rapid Support Forces yesterday in various areas of Khartoum, especially around the presidential palace and the army’s general command, which are the two largest sites of conflict between the two parties since the start of the war on April 15.

Explosions were heard, and columns of smoke rose in the vicinity of the presidential palace, while army planes flew over Khartoum, and air strikes and artillery bombardment shook separate areas of the capital, which is in its third week of fighting, prompting more civilians to flee.

The army said that its forces were able to reduce the combat capabilities of the Rapid Support Forces by more than half during 15 days of fighting, noting that the Rapid Support Forces mobilized huge forces amounting to more than 66,000 fighters, and 2,225 military vehicles and armored vehicles to control the capital.

Yesterday, the UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Peretz, announced that the army and the “rapid support” had agreed to enter into negotiations and to send delegates to them, suggesting that they would be held in Saudi Arabia without specifying a date. “We are facing obstacles in persuading the two sides of the conflict to end the violence, but we will work to secure a ceasefire under national and international monitoring,” he told the Associated Press.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured since the start of the conflict, which regional and international parties have expressed fears that it will push Sudan into a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

Yesterday, the United Nations Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Rauf Mazo, said that more than 800,000 people may flee Sudan due to the current conflict, many of whom had arrived in Sudan as refugees.
Despite the truce…air and artillery bombardment in the vicinity of the presidential palace in Khartoum

Today, the Jordanian capital, Amman, will host meetings for the foreign ministers of Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt, with the Syrian foreign minister. A Jordanian source described the meetings as carrying Syria’s responses to Arab proposals, in a way that guarantees “a political solution that guarantees its territorial integrity, the continuation of the work of its institutions, and the file of the safe return of Syrian refugees,” and that meeting these and other conditions will guarantee Damascus’ return to the Arab League.

The source added to Asharq Al-Awsat that the meetings may witness “a consensus on a political scenario that is being worked on to crystallize it to ensure that the international community is not provoked, and adherence to linking the return to a political process in Syria.” And about what Damascus will present during the meeting, the source said, “The matter is still unknown.”

The Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman al-Safadi, had met his Syrian counterpart, Faisal al-Miqdad, in Amman “on multiple unannounced visits,” according to sources who said that Syria seriously discussed in those visits opportunities to get out of the blockade imposed on it, through the intercession of the Arab League and its openness to capitals. actors such as Riyadh, Baghdad and Cairo.

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