Britain could snub UN climate summit after UAE invites Assad

THE Syrian president has been invited to the UN climate summit in Dubai later this year, raising questions over whether Britain will attend.

Bashar al-assad was invited by the government of the United Arab Emirate, the first invitation he has received to a global summit since the start of the Syrian war in 2011.

Western leaders have imposed sanctions on Syria over the civil war and its government’s treatment of civilians.

Assad’s Syria was invited back into the Arab League but only last week, the United States and Britain both said they still opposed direct ties with Damascus.

Last night, the UK Government declined to answer when asked if it would still attend the COP summit in Dubai, now that he has been invited.

A source pointed to comments made by Lord Ahmad, a foreign minister, last week. He tweeted: “The UK remains opposed to engagement with the Assad regime. Bashar al-assad continues to detain, torture and kill innocent Syrians, showing no signs of behavioural change towards his own people.

“Syria should engage with the UN political process, which remains the only route to lasting and sustainable peace in Syria.

“There must also be accountability for those who have committed human right abuses and violations.”

Abdul Hakeem al-nuaimi, the Emirati charge d’affaires in Syria, yesterday handed Assad an invitation from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-nahyan, the UAE president, “to attend the COP28 climate conference”.

Since Syria’s war broke out, Assad has held on to power and clawed back lost territory with crucial support from Iran and Russia.

This month, the Arab League welcomed back Damascus after it was suspended for more than a decade over its crackdown on protests, which spiralled into a conflict that has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.

Assad has also received an invitation to an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia scheduled for Friday.

The UAE re-established ties with Syria in 2018 and has been leading the recent charge to reintegrate Damascus into the Arab fold.

In March last year, Assad visited the UAE on his first official trip to an Arab country since the war erupted in 2011, and visited again this year.

Regional engagement with Damascus picked up after a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey on Feb 6, followed by a landmark rapprochement in March between Saudi Arabia and Assad ally Iran.

‘Assad continues to detain, torture and kill innocent Syrians, showing no signs of behavioural change’