Cut off for years over its brutal war, Bashar al-Assad is no longer shunned as a pariah.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus last monthThey look like unlikely allies, but on Wednesday the moustachioed, secular Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is warmly welcoming the bearded, turban-wearing Islamist cleric-cum-President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, to Damascus.Since then, Tehran has proved the staunchest of allies, helping - along with Moscow - to save the Assad regime during a particularly bloody civil war.
"There is a vacuum and this is where the regional powers have come in. [They see that] if nothing is going to change, if there is not going to be a real political process, then we as a region cannot afford to ignore Syria. It's too big and significant a country."The turnaround is remarkable. Back in late 2011, many Arab states were clearly planning for a post-Assad era when Syria was censured and suspended by the 22-member Arab League.
It was Russia's military involvement in Syria in 2015 that changed the course of the bloody civil war and forced its neighbours to begin thinking of a future that left Mr Assad in place Then came the China-brokered re-establishment of relations between regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia and its rival, Iran, which have supported opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.
"It's a pity. It sends the wrong message. It says there are no consequences," the official continues, adding that the Syrians are acting "in a very arrogant way, like everyone else is lucky to have them". Other demands could be a reduction in Iran's military presence in Syria and setting conditions that would allow more refugees to return home or safeguard people living in parts of Syria still under opposition control.
Turkey - which has been a main backer of Syrian armed opposition groups - has also been talking to Damascus. Almost all parties campaigning for its 14 May elections say they want to send Syrians home. Amnesty urges Arab countries to use their influence with the regime to try to prevent further attacks on civilians and arbitrary detentions and torture. There are calls for co-operation as the UN tries to set up an international body to help families of those missing to find out the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones.More than 5,900 people were killed across Syria and another 8.
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