Syria attends first regional conference since Arab League froze its membership

A delegation representing the Syrian regime of President Bashar Al-Assad is participating in the second Arab conference on disaster risk prevention in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

This is the first time a regime delegation has participated in an Arab conference since the Arab League froze its membership in 2011 citing the regime’s refusal to respect an Arab initiative calling for it to stop its violence against demonstrators.

The conference is organised by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the South Sinai Governorate and the League of Arab States (LAS) from September 14-16.

It provides a forum for Arab governments, policy makers, planners, academia, civil society and development experts to discuss disaster risk reduction in the region and shape regional priorities towards the framework for disaster risk reduction that will be presented at an international conference in Japan next year.

In an exclusive statement to the Anadolu news agency, Ratib Addas, deputy governor of Damascus and a member of the Syrian delegation, said the invitation to attend the conference was sent to the Syrian government through the UNISDR.

Addas expressed delight to be a member of the Syrian delegation, saying “it is my pleasure to represent my country, Syria, in Egypt”.

Shahira Wahbi, head of Sustainable Development and International Cooperation in the Arab League, said: “Syria is attending the conference because the United Nations is an organising partner” adding “the United Nations did not freeze Syria’s membership, and therefore it is here with us.”

She pointed out that conferences that are organised by the Arab League exclusively do not include Syria.