Arab FMs meet in Saudi Arabia ahead of Dammam summit

RIYADH

A preparatory meeting of Arab foreign ministers convened Thursday in the Saudi city of Dammam in advance of an Arab League summit slated for Sunday.

The meeting was led by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, who received the Arab League's rotating chairmanship from his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in the presence of league Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit.  

Addressing the meeting, Aboul-Gheit said the decline of Arab influence on the situation in Syria had led to the “domination of foreign powers” in that country, paving the way for Syria’s eventual disintegration.

“The crisis in Syria can only be resolved through a political solution,” Aboul-Gheit said.  

“The crises now wracking some countries of the region have allowed external forces to intervene in an unprecedented manner, aggravating and prolonging these crises,” he added. 

The Arab League chief went on to decry perceived “Iranian interference” in Arab affairs, which, he said, “serves to undermine regional peace and security”. 

Al-Jubeir, for his part, said there could be “no peace and security [in the region] as long as Iran continues to interfere in the domestic affairs of Arab states”.

“Tehran and terrorism are allies,” he said. “This is reflected by Tehran’s continued support for [Yemen’s] Houthi rebels.”  

Al-Jubeir went on to allege that more than 100 missiles had been fired recently into Saudi territory from neighboring Yemen.

“Extremism and terrorism constitute major threats to our countries and must be firmly dealt with,” the Saudi foreign minister said.  

Attending the meeting Thursday, UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura called for an “independent investigation” of Saturday's alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, in Eastern Ghouta, Syria, which left 78 people dead and injured hundreds.

The 29th Arab League summit will convene on Sunday in Dammam.