Syria's Sharaa skips Iraq summit after firestorm over invitation
*
Highlights Syria's mixed results building regional ties
*
Shi'ite Muslim factions criticise invitation over Sharaa's past
*
Concerns about his personal safety
BAGHDAD/DAMASCUS May 12 - Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will not attend the Arab League Summit in Baghdad this weekend, Syrian state media said on Monday, after Iraq's invitation spurred controversy over the rebel-turned-leader's potential return to a country where he fought and was jailed.
Syria's delegation to Saturday's summit will be headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, state-owned Ekhbariya TV reported, without providing a reason for Sharaa's absence. The summit is expected to focus on Gaza reconstruction and the Palestinian issue.
Sharaa's decision highlighted Syria's mixed results establishing ties across the region after former President Bashar al-Assad's ouster last year. Sharaa has made rapid inroads with Sunni-majority Gulf Arab states Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but has tread more carefully with others where Iran has had strong influence, like Shi'ite-majority Iraq.
Sharaa fought with Al Qaeda in Iraq after the U.S-led invasion in 2003. He was imprisoned there for more than five years, then released for lack of evidence in 2011, according to a senior Iraqi security official.
He then opened Al Qaeda's branch in Syria, breaking away in 2016 to form what became Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group that ousted Assad.
Iraq's prime minister invited Sharaa last month to the summit, prompting criticism from mainly Shi'ite Muslim factions who accuse Sharaa of orchestrating attacks against Shi'ites during his years in Iraq.
At least 57 Shi'ite lawmakers in Iraq's 329-member legislature petitioned the government to bar Sharaa from the summit, a copy of the request seen by Reuters showed. Rumours circulated that he could face an arrest warrant, but Iraqi authorities denied this.
Sunni politicians largely welcomed his participation in the summit as a step towards pulling Iraq away from Iran and towards Arab states, who have largely backed Sharaa.
"There are elements... working against Iraq's progress to reclaim its rightful place within the Arab community," said Raad al-Dahlaki, head of Azm Alliance, a major Sunni bloc in Iraq's parliament.
Analysts view Iraq as the last strong pillar in Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance after Assad's ouster and Israel's degrading of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Some Syrians were also concerned that Sharaa could face danger in Iraq.
For his Iraqi critics, "it's not going to be easy for them to digest, nor for the Syrian secret service to disregard those threats," said Mahmoud Toron, an analyst close to the Syrian government.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Govt. open to discussion on new school timings after concerns raised
The government on Wednesday said it was open to discussions if any group faced difficulties following the announcement of new school timings for high schools in the State. The move comes after Muslim scholar and president of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama Jifri Muthukoya Thangal expressed concern that the revised schedule would affect madrassa education for around 12 lakh students. Mr. Thangal raised the issue at a function attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The Samastha Kerala Jamiyyatthul ul-Ulama, known as Samastha, is an association of Sunni scholars who enjoy the highest support base among Kerala Muslims. General Education Minister V. Sivankutty, responding to the concerns, said the government was ready to listen and consider changes if needed. The revised timings, announced earlier in the day, extend the school day by 15 minutes in both the morning and evening sessions, except on Fridays. Under the new schedule, high school classes will run from 9.15 a.m. to 4.15 p.m. Talking to a news channel, Mr. Sivankutty said the government was under no compulsion on this matter. He said this was not framed by the Education department on the basis of a government decision, but followed a court directive and a commission's decision. 'Still, if any section faces difficulties due to the new timings, the government will hold discussions with them and put in place a system that does not cause difficulties to anyone,' Mr. Sivankutty said.
Mint
7 hours ago
- Mint
In fresh warning, Jaishankar reminds Pakistan of ‘a man named Osama bin Laden'
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has delivered a powerful message to the international community, highlighting the global threat posed by terrorism linked to Pakistan. In a revealing interview with European news website Euractiv, Jaishankar stressed that the recent India-Pakistan confrontation was 'not merely an India–Pakistan issue. It's about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you.' Referring to the infamous terrorist Osama bin Laden, Jaishankar asked, 'Let me remind you of something – there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point?' Osama bin Laden (1957–2011) was the founder and leader of the militant Islamist group al-Qaeda, responsible for orchestrating numerous terrorist attacks worldwide, including the devastating September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Born into a wealthy Saudi family in Riyadh, bin Laden became involved in the Afghan mujahideen resistance against the Soviet invasion in the late 1970s. In 1988, he founded al-Qaeda to promote global jihad against what he saw as Western oppression of Muslims. His network carried out attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa, the USS Cole, and ultimately the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people and triggered the US-led War on Terror. After years in hiding, Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011. The Union Minister criticised international media for framing India's Operation Sindoor, launched after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that claimed 26 lives, as a simple tit-for-tat between two nuclear-armed neighbours. Jaishankar clarified, 'I want the world to understand – this isn't merely an India–Pakistan issue. It's about terrorism.' On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar explained India's neutral stance, saying, 'We don't believe that differences can be resolved through war – we don't believe a solution will come from the battlefield.' He emphasised India's balanced approach, noting, 'India has a strong relationship with Ukraine as well – it's not only about Russia.' Jaishankar also called on Western countries to reflect on their past actions, stating, 'India has the longest-standing grievance – our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent in invaders to Kashmir. And the countries that were most supportive of that? Western countries.' He added, 'If those same countries – who were evasive or reticent then – now say 'let's have a great conversation about international principles', I think I'm justified in asking them to reflect on their own past.' On economic ties, Jaishankar pitched for an EU-India free trade agreement, highlighting India's 'skilled labour and a more trustworthy economic partnership than China.' He also expressed India's reservations about the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), saying, 'Let's not pretend – we're opposed to parts of it. We have very deep reservations about CBAM and we've been quite open about it.'
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
'Terrorism will haunt you': S Jaishankar brings up Osama bin Laden in fresh warning about Pakistan
External affairs minister S Jaishankar issued yet another warning to the West regarding Pakistan's support for terrorism, saying it will come back to haunt them. S Jaishankar, speaking to Euractiv, stated that the conflict between India and Pakistan was to combat terrorism. These remarks were made as the EAM pitched EU-India free trade, highlighting that India offers skilled labour and is a much more trustworthy partner than China. ALSO READ | 'We'll go as deep into Pakistan as terrorists': Jaishankar's bold warning Given the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, the EAM highlighted Pakistan's involvement in cross-border terrorism, and the funding and harbouring of extremist groups. He told Western countries to remember that this "very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you." "I want the world to understand – this isn't merely an India–Pakistan issue. It's about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you," he said while slamming foreign media referring to Operation Sindoor as a "tit-for-tat" between New Delhi and Islamabad. During his warning to the West, Jaishankar also recalled the capture of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. "Let me remind you of something – there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point?" said Jaishankar. READ | What is Brigade 313? Al-Qaeda-linked group in focus after Pakistan senator's Sky News interview Osama bin Laden, one of the founders of al-Qaeda, was killed by US forces during Operation Neptune Spear on May 2, 2011. Laden, who was also considered one of the masterminds of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York, escaped from Afghanistan to Pakistan with the help of Pakistani intelligence services.
