Reuters quoted an unnamed official as saying that Jordan, before a meeting to be held today, Friday, to discuss Syria’s return to the Arab League, is pushing for a joint Arab peace plan that could put an end to the devastating repercussions of the Syrian conflict that has been going on for more than 10 years, according to an official source close to the matter. .

The source added that the plan will be discussed in a meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia in the city of Jeddah, in the presence of the foreign ministers of Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to discuss launching a leading Arab role after international efforts that failed over the years to end the bloody conflict.

Syria’s membership in the League of Arab States was suspended in response to the brutal crackdown launched by the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, on peaceful protests in his country.

The official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters that the kingdom had proposed forming a joint Arab group to “deal with the Syrian government directly on a detailed plan to end the conflict.”

He added, “The detailed road map deals with all the main issues… and resolving the crisis so that Syria can restore its role in the region and rejoin the League of Arab States.”

Jordan was one of the first Arab countries to quarrel with Assad over the way to handle the conflict, and he said after Assad regained control nearly two years ago that the stalemate in the conflict must be broken.

The official said a “step-by-step” approach to ending the crisis and eventually allowing Syria to return to the Arab League is the basis of the road map that Jordan is pushing for, adding that his country hosts 1.3 million Syrian refugees.

And the senior official added that the road map is important “to address the humanitarian, security and political consequences of the conflict.”

Hundreds of thousands were killed in the war, which drew many foreign powers into it and divided the country.

Jordan has briefed its ally Washington and key European countries about the plan, the official said, adding that a key issue to be addressed is the return of the millions of refugees who have fled Syria, many of whom fear reprisals if returned.

The official went on to say that obtaining the support of the West is crucial to end the crisis as well as the lifting of US and European sanctions on Damascus to enable a massive reconstruction of the war-torn country and meet its urgent humanitarian needs.

The plan also calls for national reconciliation and for Damascus to clarify the fate of tens of thousands of people who went missing during the conflict, many of whom are believed to have died in detention centres, according to Western rights groups.

The official added that the presence of “sectarian militias,” referring to Shiite factions allied with Iran led by Hezbollah, is a major source of concern for Jordan and Arab countries.

Syria will also need to take steps to crack down on the multibillion-dollar drug smuggling trade to Jordan and the Gulf from its southern border that both Amman and Riyadh say is behind factions allied with Iran. Damascus completely denies any involvement.

“We want to end this crisis, and restoring security and stability to Syria is necessary for the security of the region,” the senior official said.

(Reuters)