Saudi Arabia snubs Algeria’s Arab League rotating presidency

Saudi Arabia has not invited Algeria, which holds the rotating presidency of the Arab League, to a meeting bringing together nine Arab states to discuss Syria’s return to the league.

The Algerian regime mouthpiece said “Algeria does not understand Saudi Arabia’s decision,” adding that leaving Algeria uninvited was a “double slap”.

The Algerian military junta, an ally of Bashar Al Assad, failed in the November summit to bring Syria over due to Arab opposition back then.

Now Saudi Arabia, emboldened with a recent rapprochement with Iran, is taking the lead to facilitate the return of Syria holding a meeting to which GCC countries together with Egypt, Jordan and Iraq were invited.

At the end of the consultative meeting held in Jeddah, Saudi Foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke over the phone with his Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita to inform him about the outcome of the meeting, ignoring Algeria.
Algeria and Lebanon, staunch Bashar allies and defenders, are sidelined probably as Saudi Arabia wants to project an image that the return is about Syria as a country that is struggling with civil war and earth quake debris.

The Algerian presidency continues to stand as one of the least attended summits that failed to have a follow up. Saudi Arabia and other major Arab countries have dwarfed Algeria in takin the lead to allow Syria back into the Arab League.

Even the Palestinian ceremonial reconciliation or photo session which Algeria depicted as a “historic” mediation between Palestinian factions had no impact. Now Saudi Arabia is reaching out to Hamas paving the way for a credible mediation.

Algeria’s diplomatic fanfare, whether at the Arab League or the African Union, is more self-regarding directed towards a domestic audience.

The next Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia, due to be held in May, will once again show how miserable Algeria’s summit was. Algeria’s presidency will also go down in history is the most short-lived with only six months, no major decisions and a large boycott of Arab leaders.