Arab press: Biden administration seeks to correct mistakes in Syria, Turkey penetrates into southern Libya

On Wednesday, Arab newspapers have discussed Biden administration's expected policy on Syria, in addition to the Turkish intervention in Libya, and the situation in Karabakh.

Biden administration is heading to correct America's past mistakes in Syria'

The beginning of the Syrian issue, and in this context, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper said: “Political circles view the positions of Biden and his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, regarding the situation in Syria as working to correct some of what the Obama administration failed to do. Biden said in a speech during his campaign. The election in Iowa state last October, that Trump's decision to withdraw American forces from Syria was a complete failure, and that the American withdrawal left the Syrians vulnerable to attacks, and indicated the need to support the Syrian Kurds.

Obama had drawn a red line if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons, but he was silent when al-Assad used sarin gas, and Blinken indicated that the situation in Syria had become worse, and that the Trump administration had lost any remaining influence in Syria.

When asked about the possibility of normalization with al-Assad regime, Blinken said: “This is impossible for me; Imagine that », which means that it is not a possible scenario for the next four years.

Senator Chris Coons, a close ally of Biden, had said that he would support the continued presence of US forces on the ground in Syria and Afghanistan, to prevent groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda from reemerging and gaining ground and influence again. Biden made similar comments. He said: "These eternal wars must end, and I support the withdrawal of American forces, but the problem is that we still have to worry about terrorism and (ISIS)."

Analysts interpreted Blinken's views as a tendency within the new Biden administration to intervene more strongly in the Syrian file, especially with intelligence reports indicating that ISIS and Al Qaeda are still intent on re-emerging and planning strikes against the United States, and the US military presence - despite its modesty - He remains the mainstay of preserving the situation in Syria, and preventing the emergence of terrorists again, and analyzes indicate that Biden will want to keep American soldiers in Syria, in addition to continuing the economic sanctions on al-Assad regime.

Questions remain about Biden and Blinken's plans about the options that they have in the Syrian crisis. Will Biden continue the sanctions on Syria or lift them? Will the Syrian regime demand the achievement of certain major reforms or the safe, voluntary return of refugees? But given the power arrangements on the ground, Biden will have to find a way to work with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and find a path to engage in a political process under the umbrella of the United Nations.

As part of Biden's interest in securing a deal with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, the president-elect will want to reduce Iranian influence in Syria.

'Turkey seeks to penetrate the wealth-rich Libyan south'

Regarding the Libyan issue, Al-Bayan newspaper said: “Turkey still aspires to control the Libyan wealth through its aggression through its mercenaries and its challenge to the international community to continue sending weapons to thwart the political solution.

Observers believe that Turkey is playing on the strings of ethnic and tribal strife to penetrate the wealth-rich Libyan south, pointing to the regime of Turkish President Recep Erdogan relying part of his scheme on multinational terrorist groups, by pushing them to infiltrate social circles in cities and villages, especially regions with ethnic and tribal diversity.

In its turn, Libyan military sources explained to "Al-Bayan" that the Turkish regime is pushing terrorist groups, whether from northern Syria or from the countries of the Greater Sahara, such as Mali and Niger, towards southern Libya, to station in them with the aim of attracting, recruiting and preparing for operations against the national army, noting that Erdogan's goal expelling the army from the south, especially the Fezzan region, and obstructing the implementation of the provisions of the Geneva Accord, the two military dialogue teams within the "5 + 5" committee.

And last week, a report published by the Africa Intelligence website revealed Turkey's attempts to establish contact with the tribes that control the Fezzan region in southern Libya through a non-governmental organization, pointing out that with the stability of the eastern-western front now on both sides of the Sirte Al-Jafra axis, Turkey is placing its pawns in the south, which threatens to become the next stage for clashes in the Libyan conflict.

Ambiguous future for the Karabakh agreement'

With regard to the situation in Karabakh, Al-Arab newspaper said: "The handover of Armenia, Tuesday, the last of the three regions of Azerbaijan, in implementation of an agreement on a ceasefire in the Karabakh region, raises questions about the future of the latter."

The handover of the Lachin region, Tuesday, was the last step with which the first phase of the "peace process" sponsored by Russia ended, after clashes that took place for six weeks between the two countries in the South Caucasus.

However, resolution of the dispute over the Armenian-majority Karabakh Republic remains elusive.

The future of Karabakh remains unclear, especially since the region is completely dependent on financial support from Armenia, and its economy is now greatly weakened.

Also, it is not clear how to coordinate between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the authorities in Karabakh.

"The agreement that Moscow obtained (...) is ambiguous in a number of aspects, such as the mandate of the Russian peace forces and the organization of the life of the civilian population, whether they are Armenians or Azeri," said Olesya Vartanian, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

"If this confusion persists, it could be a source of tensions," she added.

The ceasefire agreement did not address the more complex issue, which is the long-term future of Karabakh.

For decades, negotiations were sponsored by France, Russia and the United States within the framework of the Minsk Group, which was tasked in the 1990s with finding a permanent solution to the crisis, but did not lead to a tangible result.

T/S

ANHA