A year has elapsed since Syria presided over the Arab summit. What was achieved, Bassel Oudat asks from Damascus The Syrian leadership pinned much hope on its chairmanship of the 2008 Arab summit. As summit chair, valid for a whole year, President Bashar Al-Assad had the chance to act as a regional leader, coordinate with other Arab states, mediate Arab affairs and sponsor efforts regarding major Arab issues, including the Arab-Israeli conflict. It was an opportunity that the Syrians desperately wanted, and sadly squandered. There was another major reason that made the Syrian leadership hope for much from its summit chairmanship. A year ago, Syria was being isolated by the United States and Europe. The US Syria Accountability Act has taken its toll. And some Arab countries were keeping their distance from Damascus. In short, Syria was left out in the cold and was hoping that the summit would help it make a comeback. Surely, the summit was going to make Europe and the US more respectful, or at least make Arab countries less hostile -- or so the Syrians thought. The Damascus summit ran into immediate snags, prompting some Arabs to call for its cancellation or postponement. But Syria, thinking of all the advantages the summit may provide, insisted on holding it. Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallim said that the summit would be held "with those who attend, regardless of the level of representation". Consequently, many Arab countries lowered their level of representation. Only 10 Arab leaders showed up in Damascus while 11 others stayed away. Lebanon, not having a president at the time, was not invited. Qatar helped foot the bill for the gathering. Following the summit, Minister Al-Muallim commended the summit in terms of "the attendance, the work done, and the discussions held". It was a "remarkable summit", said Al-Muallim, denying that it deepened Arab divisions. His upbeat remarks showed how great Syrian expectations were, and how badly Al-Assad wanted to be summit chief. Syria expected the summit to boost its ability to resist US and European pressures, end its isolation, confront sanctions, and mend its relations with Arab countries. Things didn't go the way the Syrian leadership wanted. Due to its differences with some Arab countries, Damascus couldn't offer the leadership it had hoped for, nor could it effectively influence the course of Arab decision-making. Remarkably, the Syrian government didn't invite the Iranian president to attend the March 2008 summit, but it invited the Iranian foreign minister in an observer status. Damascus simply couldn't risk antagonising those Arab countries that accuse it of being a lackey of Iran. But this didn't stop Syria's critics from accusing Damascus of acting as a beachhead for Iranian policy in the region. Refusing to bow to pressure, Damascus insisted that its cooperation with Tehran was and relations with Hizbullah were irreversible. Syria remained convinced that its relations with Hizbullah are the main leverage it has in Lebanon. But, unable to divert the accusations, the ability of Syria to act as a summit leader diminished. Syria was neither able to implement the decisions of the summit or to act as a spokesman of all Arab countries. Each time Damascus tried to formulate or suggest Arab policy it was ignored. As summit chair, President Al-Assad intended to visit several Arab countries for consultation about Arab affairs. But as tensions persisted, the idea was shelved. Syrian political analyst Said Moqbel told Al-Ahram Weekly that: "a review of political events since the Damascus summit a year ago shows that Syria couldn't benefit from its chairmanship of the summit, nor could it consolidate its regional role. On the contrary, Syria's differences with major Arab countries are proof that Damascus cannot be a key player except with Arab consensus and solidarity. Syria is unlikely to play any regional role unless it fully takes its relations with Arab countries into account. Syria must be aware by now of the importance of its relations with other Arab countries, for these relations define the scope of Syria's power." To sum up, Syria missed several opportunities in the very year that its summit chairmanship was supposed to boost its regional and international leverage. Speaking during a visit to Damascus last week, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said that the Syrian summit chairmanship was "active", while voicing hope that the regional situation would improve before Qatar takes over the summit chairmanship. "The level of implementing the decisions of the Damascus summit was high, especially with regards to main economic and developmental decisions," the secretary-general added, complimenting his hosts. As Damascus helps arrange the 21st summit in Doha, it must be keen not to lose this last opportunity to show every possible courtesy to Qatar, the one country that stood firmly by it in a difficult year.
