The United States announced today, Tuesday, its opposition to the normalization of relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after his second visit in two years to the UAE.
In a statement to reporters, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, “We will not normalize relations with the Assad regime.”
He stressed that the US administration is not encouraging anyone to this normalization in the absence of any real progress towards a political solution, adding: “We call on all those associated with Damascus to think honestly and think about how their participation can help meet the needs Syrians wherever they live.”
Last Sunday, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received President Assad and assured him of the need to return Damascus “to its Arab neighborhood.”
A growing number of countries are seeking to improve relations with Assad, and the United States, in accordance with local law, excludes any assistance in the reconstruction of Syria under Assad’s rule.
Source: AFP
