The month of August has been an eventful one for the Islamic
world and the Middle East. Chang in that part of the world is happening so fast
that the media could hardly keep pace with it.
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NAM member and observers states |
The crisis in Syria remains the top issue. Headlines about
the conflict there are present in almost every national, regional, and international
media outlet. Kofi Annan’s resignation and the termination of the mission of
the U.N. monitors opened the door wide open for new initiatives. On the ground,
more people lost their lives this month than any other since the start of the
uprising in Syria 18 months ago.
The U.N. has appointed a new diplomat to troubleshoot the
crisis but very few world leaders are convinced that he will be able to put an
end to the bloodletting. Faced with this widespread pessimism, Saudi Arabia,
Iran, Egypt, France, and Turkey are trying hard to fill the void.
Earlier this month, the Saudi kind called for an emergency
meeting the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The heads of State
Summit in Mecca failed to agree on a practical plan to end the crisis. They
managed to issue a resolution suspending Syria’s membership in the intergovernmental
organization—hardly a solution given the meaninglessness of membership in such
a club controlled mostly by the Saudi rulers. On the sidelines on this meeting,
Egypt launched its own initiative calling for a regional “Contact Group”
(Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran). France is campaigning hard to keep the
Syrian National Council relevant in the face of disunity, promising them that
if they manage to establish a provisional government, France would recognize it.
Revealing the disunity among the opposition groups, the National Coordination
Committee for the Forces of Democratic Change, or National Coordination Board
(NCC or NCB), consisting mainly of opposition groups inside Syria, are holding
a national conference next month.
Before the OIC summit, Iran convened its own conference
about Syria to stress that military intervention in that country is a redline.
The meeting was so hastily organized that even the most enthusiastic countries
to such meetings like Russia and China could not participate at a high level
given the short notice. Apparently, the Iranians wanted to flood the scene with
alternative initiatives given the void left by Annan’s resignation and Western
disinterest in a political solution to the crisis.
Iran is ending this month with a bang. They are hosting the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) summit. Iran will preside over the 120 nation organization. The
meeting’s statement will most likely make a number of declarations about key
issues including the crisis in Syria, nuclear technology, Palestinian
statehood, and Arab Spring.
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