Arab press: Jeffrey admits to failure in Syria, Brotherhood is excited about Biden's arrival at White House

On Monday, Arab newspapers discussed the US policy on Syria, in addition to the implications of Biden’s arrival in the White House on the movements of the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as the Gulf reconciliation.

Jeffrey: "We failed to achieve three goals in Syria."

The beginning of the Syrian issue, and in this context, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper said: “Shortly after the resignation of the US envoy to Syria, James Jeffrey, following the presidential elections last month, he praised in a recent dialogue the policies of the Trump administration, which was able to «put a strategy that stopped a catastrophic strategy of losing in both Iraq and Syria in the face of the forces of terrorism». The former diplomat confirmed that he and his colleagues are leaving the region in a better condition than they were when Trump took office.

And he added, "However, the outgoing administration was not able to achieve its three goals in Syria, represented in the complete withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syria, the defeat of ISIS, and a political solution in Syria, but the United States and the coalition were able to secure a" military impasse "that deprived the dictatorial President Bashar al-Assad from making gains on the ground. "

Moreover, Jeffrey referred to the broad alliance and support of international organizations in the United Nations and the European Union, in imposing sanctions that "crushed al-Assad economically", in addition to the cooperation of members of the Arab League who agreed to maintain the diplomatic isolation of the Syrian government. "What this basically means is that Russia and Iran inherited a completely failed state, and if they want to get out of this quagmire, they will have to negotiate seriously and accept compromises," he added, noting that the challenge facing the Biden administration is convincing Russia and Iran to accept compromises. That would put an end to the bloodshed in Syria and "put al-Assad under control", amid "increasing reluctance" from the two countries to do so.

The Brotherhood is very enthusiastic about Biden's arrival at the White House."

Regarding the movements of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Arab newspaper said: "The Muslim Brotherhood did not wait for the US President-elect Joe Biden to formally take office, and showed great enthusiasm for his entry into the White House, as he would be its savior from political wandering."

The group's urgency appeared early, through many optimistic comments and statements of its leaders, since the confirmation of his victory.

The deputy guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Ibrahim Mounir, on Saturday raised what looks like a military statement, promising that the Brotherhood will return to political action in Egypt with Biden's arrival at the White House, and not excluding a change in Egypt and the region that is in the interest of the group.

And he spoke about the political rehabilitation of the Brotherhood in the Biden era, stressing that political Islam exists, and the group is ready to be the main lever for the upcoming change, and its lines are open with influential parties in the United States.

The dialogue conducted by the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel with Ibrahim Mounir carried many political messages, which are not without contradictions as well. The man spoke about the importance of Biden’s arrival to power, but he seemed annoyed by a new bill recently submitted to Congress by Representative Ted Cruz, in which he demanded the inclusion of the group on American Terrorism List.

He tried to downplay the importance of the move at this time, by noting that President Trump's administration is numbered, and rejected such a step before that.

He deliberately emphasized the vital role the US State Department plays in preventing the targeting of the group, pointing to the continued holding of important meetings with its officials, members of Congress, and research study centers, all of whom play an influential role to whiten the group's face.

As for the European-Turkish dispute, Bawabat Al-Ahram said: "Today, Monday, the European Union foreign ministers are evaluating the reasons for imposing sanctions on Turkey due to a gas dispute in the Mediterranean before the EU leaders decide whether they will implement their threat of punitive measures."

Ministers will not make decisions at their meeting on Monday, leaving that to a summit on Thursday by European Union leaders who asked Turkey in October to stop drilling in disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean or face the consequences.

Turkey's move in late November to return an exploration vessel to its ports eased tensions, but European Union officials and diplomats said the broader issues in Libya, Syria, Russia and authoritarianism in Turkey have strengthened the European Union's positions.

A senior EU official said, "I have no knowledge of any EU government challenging the view that the situation is worse than October, and that the leaders should consider the consequences."

'Qatar returns to the Gulf embrace of the alliance against Iran'

Regarding the Gulf issue, the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper said: “In parallel with the Kuwaiti mediation and American pressure to end the boycott of Qatar and put an end to the Gulf crisis, an extraordinary Saudi movement has emerged in the direction of promoting the achievement of a reconciliation that has become within reach, as the Kingdom's Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan, has already mentioned.

A reconciliation in which Riyadh is happy, as it believes, as is its ally Washington, that the Gulf reunification will constitute, if Israel is annexed to it, a united front against Iran that will stand as an impregnable barrier to any step that violates the policy of "maximum pressure", not only that, the Kingdom has become bolder and clear to talk about its demands, which seem identical to the new German demand: No agreement on the Iranian nuclear program does not include that missile!

T/S

ANHA