The UN Security Council convened on July 11, 2023, for a session to discuss extending the mandate for the humanitarian aid mechanism to Syria. The meeting concluded without reaching an agreement on either of the two draft resolutions that were proposed.
The final statement of the "Astana 20" talks included three new issues that were not mentioned in the previous rounds' final statements.
Money transfers entering the Syrian regime's regions have declined during Eid al-Adha compared to previous anniversaries.
It has been a year since the talks of the Constitutional Committee have stalled, and recently several proposals have been put forward to resume its work in Muscat, Cairo, Kuwait, or other capitals and UN headquarters outside of Geneva.
The security disturbances in the areas under the Syrian regime have been continuing at an escalating pace since mid-2022. During that time, the Syrian regime’s Ministry of Defense issued strict instructions aimed at controlling the operations of booby-trapping vehicles and cars targeting officers and non-commissioned officers.
The foreign ministers of the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states held a meeting in Riyadh to discuss the situation in Syria and Arab engagement in finding a solution to the crisis.
On March 22, 2023, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, a commander for U.S. Central Command's Air Force, stated that “Russian jets flew over the two US bases in Syria – al-Tanf military base in the southeastern countryside region of Homs and al-Omar field – approximately 25 times this month, as opposed to zero times in February and 14 times in January.
The Arab League Council, under the presidency of Egypt, adopted Resolution 8914 during its extraordinary ministerial—level session on May 7, 2023. The resolution stated the resumption of participation by the Syrian regime's delegations in the League's meetings. Subsequently, during its 32nd summit held in Jeddah on the same month, the AL Council issued a modified version of the resolution.
The United States extended on May 8, 2023, the state of emergency regarding the Syrian regime until 2024, considering its behavior as still posing an unusual and extraordinary threat to US national security and foreign policy.
Undoubtedly, this decision represents a serious Arab retreat from the position taken at the end of 2011 in response to the grave violations taking place in Syria. It serves the interests of the perpetrators of these violations and enhances the likelihood of similar violations being committed in other countries.
The visit of the Iranian president to Damascus coincides with a new wave of Arab normalization with the Syrian regime following the improvement of Saudi-Iranian relations. New initiatives for a solution in Syria emerged after meetings in Jeddah and Amman.
Pedersen is banking on the failure of normalization initiatives unless they commit to achieving a political solution in accordance with Resolution 2254 (2015).
