Syria has decided to participate in the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, due to be held next week in Sharm el-Sheikh, with a diplomatic delegation headed by its Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Arab sources ascribed this decision to the cold relations between the two countries and described it as a response to Egypt's participation in the Arab summit held in Damascus with a low-level representation.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Foreign Minister Walid Moallem will therefore not take part in the summit, as Arab sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Syria officially informed Egypt ten days ago that its Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad would head the Syrian delegation at the summit. The sources linked the low level of the Syrian delegation at the Non-Aligned Movement conference in Sharm El-Sheikh to Egypt's low-level representation at the Arab summit held in Damascus last year. On that occasion, Egypt was represented by Dr. Mufid Shehab, Minister of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils, while President Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit both missed the event.
The sources pointed out that attempts have been made to reconcile the two sides during the Kuwait summit and the four-party summit in Riyadh, which was attended by the presidents of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Kuwait. Yet, it seems some issues have not been settled yet. Later on, Syria hosted an Islamic and then an Arab meeting, and Egypt's representation in both events was also low (the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs).
The sources added that international relations are equations between two parties and positive influences must come from both parties and not be unilateral. The sources explained that the relations between Cairo and Damascus prove that the Arab nation is suffering from unusual problems. They also stressed the need to restore strong relations between the two countries, saying this would benefit the Arab and the Islamic nations. Diplomatic efforts have been led by different Arab capitals to try and thaw the relations between Damascus on the one hand and Cairo and Riyadh on the other. There has been a relative improvement in the Syrian - Saudi relations, while those between Syria and Egypt are still rather cold. The Syrian President Bashar al-Assad did not attend a recent meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh with President Mubarak, the Saudi monarch and the Bahraini king. The Syrians are accusing the Egyptian official media of contributing to making relations between the two countries even more strained. They are pointing the finger of blame at the articles published by some newspapers which leveled strong criticism at President Al-Assad and his government. For his part, Cairo accuses Damascus of trying to thwart the inter-Palestinian dialogue.
