29 March 2017
Arab league leaders are arriving in Jordan for a two-day summit being held south of Amman today, amid low expectations about a tangible outcome to come out of the meeting.
The summit comes at a time when the region’s leaders are faced with the challenge of ending the six-year old civil war in Syria, which has so far taken about 465,000 lives and drove millions out of their homes seeking asylum in other countries.
Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit, a former Egyptian foreign minister, has urged Arab governments to help find a solution to the Syrian crisis. There are 4.9 million registered Syrian refugees, according to the most recent data posted on Syria Regional Refugee Response, a website linked to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
"In my view it's not right that Arab governments stay out of the biggest crisis in the region's modern history," Abul Gheit was quoted as saying earlier this month by the Al Jazeera news network. Arab leaders need to "find an effective way of intervening to stop the shedding of blood in Syria and end the war,” he added.
The United Nations has been for over a year hosting talks between the various Syrian political factions and major international countries in an attempt to resolve the crisis.
The Arab League includes all six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, along with other Arab Gulf, North African and African countries, including Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Libya and Sudan.
Those attending the summit are also seeking common ground on a commitment to the issue of a Palestinian state, a goal that has been put into doubt by U.S. president Donald Trump, who had indicated that he was open to a one-state solution to the conflict.
Prior to the Arab summit, Saudi King Salman visited Jordan on an official visit that witnessed the signing of fifteen agreements and memoranda of understanding.
The visit was followed with the announcement that Saudi Arabia's top sovereign wealth fund will create an investment firm that would pursue a variety of projects in Jordan.
Jordanians hold the most favourable view of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East region, according to a Pew Global opinion poll, which showed that 88 percent of Jordanians hold a favourable opinion of the Gulf kingdom, while only 11 percent express an unfavourable point of view.
The strong ties between the two kingdoms have been fostered and affirmed throughout the turbulent times which have rocked the region, from the ‘Arab Spring’, the expansion of the Islamic state to the Yemeni conflict and the formed alliance against Houthis.
A picture making the rounds across social media shows a Jordanian pilot holding a welcome sign in the cabin of his air force aircraft while capturing the moment the plane carrying King Salman reaches Jordanian territories.
Further reading:
© Express 2017
Arab league leaders are arriving in Jordan for a two-day summit being held south of Amman today, amid low expectations about a tangible outcome to come out of the meeting.
The summit comes at a time when the region’s leaders are faced with the challenge of ending the six-year old civil war in Syria, which has so far taken about 465,000 lives and drove millions out of their homes seeking asylum in other countries.
Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit, a former Egyptian foreign minister, has urged Arab governments to help find a solution to the Syrian crisis. There are 4.9 million registered Syrian refugees, according to the most recent data posted on Syria Regional Refugee Response, a website linked to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
"In my view it's not right that Arab governments stay out of the biggest crisis in the region's modern history," Abul Gheit was quoted as saying earlier this month by the Al Jazeera news network. Arab leaders need to "find an effective way of intervening to stop the shedding of blood in Syria and end the war,” he added.
The United Nations has been for over a year hosting talks between the various Syrian political factions and major international countries in an attempt to resolve the crisis.
The Arab League includes all six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, along with other Arab Gulf, North African and African countries, including Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Libya and Sudan.
Those attending the summit are also seeking common ground on a commitment to the issue of a Palestinian state, a goal that has been put into doubt by U.S. president Donald Trump, who had indicated that he was open to a one-state solution to the conflict.
Prior to the Arab summit, Saudi King Salman visited Jordan on an official visit that witnessed the signing of fifteen agreements and memoranda of understanding.
The visit was followed with the announcement that Saudi Arabia's top sovereign wealth fund will create an investment firm that would pursue a variety of projects in Jordan.
Jordanians hold the most favourable view of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East region, according to a Pew Global opinion poll, which showed that 88 percent of Jordanians hold a favourable opinion of the Gulf kingdom, while only 11 percent express an unfavourable point of view.
The strong ties between the two kingdoms have been fostered and affirmed throughout the turbulent times which have rocked the region, from the ‘Arab Spring’, the expansion of the Islamic state to the Yemeni conflict and the formed alliance against Houthis.
A picture making the rounds across social media shows a Jordanian pilot holding a welcome sign in the cabin of his air force aircraft while capturing the moment the plane carrying King Salman reaches Jordanian territories.
Further reading:
- PREVIEW: Arab leaders seek common ground at summit on Palestinian state
- $3 billion Saudi-Jordanian joint fund an investment milestone
- Jordan's healthcare expertise vital for Riyadh medical city
- Trade ties with Jordan exemplary, says Saudi commerce minister
© Express 2017
