Wall Street Journal: Arab countries seek normalization with the Assad regime in exchange for these conditions

The Wall Street Journal confirmed that a number of Arab countries have made an offer to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for reconciliation in exchange for billions of dollars in assistance in the reconstruction of Syria.

The newspaper quoted senior officials as saying that the talks led by the state of Jordan proposed, in addition to financial support, mediation with the United States and Europe to lift sanctions on Bashar al-Assad and his regime.

In return, Assad is committed to entering into negotiations with the Syrian political opposition, accepting the presence of Arab military forces to protect refugees returning to their country, stopping drug trafficking, and working to stop Iran's expansion in Syria.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a Syrian source confirmed that Bashar al-Assad "has not shown interest" in internal political reform, or in accepting the presence of Arab military forces in Syria. Western powers, on the other hand, have shown no indication that the siege on the Syrian regime can be lifted.

Post-earthquake

The newspaper said that the talks, which are at their beginning, witnessed a boost after the great earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey and left huge human losses, and massive destruction, as the Assad regime is trying to exploit it to break the isolation imposed on it, and Arab countries began talking about the need to disrupt the "status quo" in the Syrian file and push for a solution that ends the humanitarian crisis in this Arab country.

She stated that the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran under Chinese auspices constitutes a major geostrategic change in the region, which may open the door for Assad to return to the scene, especially as European and Arab officials confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the return of the Syrian regime to the Arab League will be the subject of discussion and discussion for the next Arab summit to be hosted by Saudi Arabia this year.

Jordan and Egypt sent their foreign ministers to Damascus for the first time since the rupture that occurred after the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, while the UAE made restoring the Syrian regime to the Arab side a priority.

Regarding the US position, the Wall Street Journal reported that US State Department spokesman Ned Price had previously stressed that the United States would encourage any "normalization of relations with Syria" only if the Assad regime adhered to a roadmap leading to free and fair elections.