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A30 world news
Diasabra 19 Maart 2022

Syria's Assad visits UAE, 1st trip to Arab country since war

for having provoked it. Sunni Muslim countries in the Per-
sian Gulf is to blunt the involvement
Syria was expelled from the 22-mem- of their Shiite-led foe, Iran, which
ber Arab League and boycotted by its saw its influence expand rapidly in
neighbors after the conflict broke out the chaos of Syria's war.
11 years ago. Hundreds of thousands
of people have been killed in the war, The rapprochement, however, could
which displaced half of Syria's popu- serve both sides.
lation. Large parts of Syria have been
destroyed and reconstruction would Syria badly needs to boost relations
cost tens of billions of dollars. with oil-rich countries as its economy
is being strangled by crippling West-
Arab and Western countries gener- ern sanctions and as it faces the task
ally blamed Assad for the deadly of post-war reconstruction. The UAE
crackdown on the 2011 protests that is also home to thousands of Syrians
evolved into civil war, and supported who work in the Gulf Arab nation
the opposition in the early days of the and send money to their relatives at
conflict. home.
Assad has very rarely traveled outside The UAE's state-run WAM news
the country during Syria's civil war, agency said the country's de facto
only visiting Russia and Iran. Tehran ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed
has given the Syrian government bil- Al Nahyan welcomed Syria's Bashar
lions of dollars in aid and sent Iran- al-Assad at his palace in Abu Dhabi.
backed fighters to battle alongside his At the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed
forces — assistance that, along with expressed his hope "this visit would
Russian air power, has helped turn be the beginning of peace and stabil-
the tide in Assad's favor. ity for Syria and tee entire region."
The report said Assad briefed Sheikh
With the war having fallen into a Mohammed on the latest develop-
stalemate and Assad recovering con- ments in Syria and the two leaders
trol over most of the country thanks discussed mutual interests in the
to military assistance from his two Arab world. Assad was reported to
allies, Arab countries have inched have left the UAE later on Friday
closer toward restoring ties with the from Abu Dhabi.
Syrian leader in recent years.
Sheikh Mohammed stressed to Assad
The UAE reopened its embassy in that Syria remains a "fundamental pil-
(AP) — Syrian President Bashar between their countries, it said. Syria in late 2018 in the most sig- lar of Arab security" and that he hopes
Assad was in the United Arab nificant Arab overture toward the the UAE can facilitate its develop-
Emirates on Friday, his office The visit sends the clearest signal Assad government, though relations ment. The leaders also discussed the
said, marking his first visit to an yet that the Arab world is willing to remained cold. Last fall, the Emirati importance of "the preservation of
Arab country since Syria's civil re-engage with Syria's once widely foreign minister flew to Damascus Syria's territorial integrity and with-
war erupted in 2011. shunned president. It comes against for a meeting with Assad, the first drawal of foreign forces," the report
the backdrop of the raging war in visit by the country's top diplomat added.
In a statement posted on its social Ukraine where Assad's main ally, since 2011. The United States, a close
media pages, the office says that Russian President Vladimir Putin, is Emirati partner, criticized the visit at The similarly vague statement said
Assad met with Sheikh Mohamed pressing on with a military offensive, the time, saying it would not support Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed affirmed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice presi- now in its fourth week, raining lethal any normalization with Assad's gov- the UAE's desire to "discover new
dent and prime minister of the UAE fire on Ukrainian cities, including ernment. paths of constructive cooperation"
and the ruler of Dubai. The two dis- the capital, Kyiv. Syria has supported with Syria and made no reference to
cussed expanding bilateral relations Russia's invasion, blaming the West A key motive for the overtures by the war.

UN: 6.5 million people displaced inside Ukraine due to war

(AP) — The U.N. migra- ple from their homes both in culated to stand at 6.48 mil- The paper said that 9.56 mil- people had fled abroad as of
tion agency said Friday the country and abroad. lion internally displaced per- lion people have been dis- Wednesday.
that nearly 6.5 million The findings come in a paper sons in Ukraine as of March placed by the war so far, as of
people have been dis- issued Friday by the U.N. 16." Wednesday, and another 2.2 UNHCR, in its latest figures
placed inside Ukraine, Office for the Coordination million people were consid- released Friday, said more
on top of the 3.2 million of Humanitarian Affairs. UNHCR, the U.N. refugee ering leaving. IOM estimates than 3.2 million people have
who have already fled the agency, has said fighting that that more than 3 million fled Ukraine.
country. The projections also found has followed Russia's inva-
that "over 12 million people sion of Ukraine on Feb. 24
That means that around a are estimated to be stranded has sparked Europe's grav-
quarter of Ukraine's 44 mil- in affected areas or unable est refugee crisis since World
lion people have been forced to leave due to heightened War II.
from their homes. security risks, destruction of
bridges and roads, as well as "By these estimates, roughly
The estimates from the In- lack of resources or informa- half the country is either in-
ternational Organization for tion on where to find safety ternally displaced, stranded
Migration suggests Ukraine and accommodation." in affected areas or unable to
is fast on course in just three leave, or has already fled to
weeks toward the levels of The paper cited the IOM fig- neighboring countries," he
displacement from Syria's ures as "a good representation said, alluding to Ukraine's
devastating war, which has of the scale of internal dis- population of about 44 mil-
driven about 13 million peo- placement in Ukraine — cal- lion before the war began.