Syria opposition urges Arab states not to mend ties with Assad

RIYADH: Syria’s opposition chief on Sunday urged Arab leaders not to rebuild relations with President Bashar Al Assad’s government, voicing frustration amid apparent efforts to bring the Damascus regime back into the Arab fold.

After years of frosty ties, the United Arab Emirates last month reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital, and fellow Gulf state Bahrain has followed suit.

“We are surprised that our brothers are reaching out and building relations with this regime,” opposition leader Nasr Al Hariri told reporters in Riyadh.

“We hope that our brothers, the leaders of Arab nations, will not abandon the Syrian people,” he added, urging them to reconsider their decisions.

Almost eight years into Syria’s devastating war, opponents of Assad’s regime are watching in dismay as his government looks set to secure a comeback at home and abroad. With backing from Russia and Iran, the government has expelled rebels and extremists from large parts of Syria, and now controls almost two-thirds of the country. The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in November 2011 as the death toll mounted and several regional powers bet on the demise of the Assad regime. Most Gulf states closed their embassies in 2012.

But several Arab states are seeking to restore ties with Assad after his forces made decisive gains in the war, in a bid to expand their influence in the war-torn country.