DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said consensus was building in the Arab world that isolating Syria was not working and that dialogue with Damascus was needed “at some point”.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud’s remarks at a Munich security forum on Saturday mark a shift from the early years of the 12-year foreign-backed war in Syria when several Arab states including Saudi Arabia backed terrorists that fought Bashar al-Assad.
“You will see not just among the GCC (Persian Gulf Cooperation Council) but in the Arab world there is a consensus growing that the status quo is not workable,” he said.
The minister said without a path towards “maximalist goals” for a political solution, another approach was “being formulated” to address the issue.
“So that’s going to have to go through a dialogue with the government in Damascus at some point in a way that achieves at least the most important of the objectives especially as regards the humanitarian angle, the return of refugees, etc,” he said.
Asked about reports that he would visit Damascus following visits by his Emirati and Jordanian counterparts after the earthquake, Prince Faisal said he would not comment on rumors.
Riyadh has sent aid planes to government-held territory in Syria as part of earthquake relief efforts after initially sending aid only to the country’s militant-held northwest.
Assad has been basking in an outpouring of support from Arab states that normalized ties with him in recent years, notably the United Arab Emirates which aims for Arab influence in Syria.
Other Arab states remain wary and U.S. sanctions on Syria remain a complicating factor.
Assad has recovered control of most of Syria with support from Russia along with Iran and resistance movements such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah.