Arab League advocates 'diplomatic solution' to end European war

The Arab political-economic organisation held an emergency meeting earlier this week to hear the opinions and different points of view of the member states, and to discuss the events arising from the Russian invasion, seen as the biggest conflict to take place in Europe since the Second World War.

The meeting was convened at Egypt's request, as announced by the body on Sunday. "Egypt convened an emergency meeting of the Council of the League of Arab States at the level of delegates to discuss the current developments in Ukraine," said Hosam Zaki, undersecretary general of the Regional Forum, in a statement. Meanwhile, within the League itself, countries have to deal with a series of regional conflicts and conflicting loyalties. 

At no time since the beginning of the invasion have Arab countries taken sides. They avoid taking sides in the two existing blocs, as do North African governments, which are being very cautious in their response to Russia. This is because the Russian giant is a major supplier in both the food and arms sectors to these regions, and a position could leave nations vulnerable to potential food shortages. On the other hand, the American giant is one of the main historical allies of the Middle Eastern powers, which is why they do not want to ally themselves with any bloc. 

Nonetheless, the Arab bloc has shown great concern over the Ukrainian-Russian war and stressed 'the importance of respecting the principles of international law', as reflected in the extraordinary meeting held on the fifth day of the Russian invasion. The 22 members of the Arab League issued a communiqué with the intention of not offending any country, as well as avoiding taking a position, but calling for a "diplomatic solution" and "moderation". Arab states have also said they are committed to cooperating and ensuring the safety of their nationals, especially students living in Ukraine.

Last Friday, the United Arab Emirates, the only Arab country present at the Council, joined China and India in abstaining from voting on the UN Security Council resolution proposed by the United States. The resolution was vetoed by Russia, which as a permanent member of the Council prevents any action, while it was supported by 11 members. 

For the most part, Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, too, have remained silent on the European conflict, although for many years they have been alienated from the US administration. Likewise, the UAE has limited itself to calling for a "peaceful solution" to the conflict, or Kuwait, which has condemned and rejected the use of force in conflict resolution, joined by Morocco and Jordan. 

Certain Asian and African countries have taken sides in the conflict, siding with Russia. Syria, which was suspended from the Arab League in 2011, has shown its support for Moscow, as the country has been assisting in the Syrian civil war for many years. "My country condemns punitive measures and understands that being on the right side of history means repudiating the war policies of Western states in order to protect the interests of peoples who oppose their hegemony and interventionism," said Bassam Sabbagh, Syria's diplomatic representative to the UN. Algeria and Sudan also lean more towards the Russian side, because of former military ties with the former Soviet Union and current ties with Russia.

While the various international bodies are meeting to put an end to the war in Ukraine, hundreds of civilians have been killed, as well as thousands of citizens who have been wounded, not to mention the more than 400,000 displaced to neighbouring countries. "Most of these civilians have been killed by explosive weapons with wide impact areas, including shelling by heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and air strikes," said Michelle Bachelet, the UN human rights chief.