In a region still divided on how to deal with Syria, Jordan has emerged as a keen advocate for Arab engagement with President Bashar Al Assad.
The kingdom is among nine Arab countries meeting in Jeddah on Friday to narrow differences on whether to restore Damascus's Arab League membership.
It could be a major symbolic breakthrough for Mr Al Assad and for Russia, his most powerful supporter.
Syria’s membership was suspended in 2011 over its violent suppression of peaceful demonstrations against five decades of Assad family rule.
One consequence of the ensuing civil war has been Syria’s fragmentation into Turkish, Russian, Iranian and US spheres of influence, but none for Arab powers.
The country has also become the theatre for a low-intensity war of attrition between Iran and Israel.
Captagon crisis
The south became a launch pad for the export of the amphetamine Captagon into Jordan, with the kingdom's officials saying the Syrian military and militias teamed up with Iran to sponsor the trade.
“Jordan's policy is gradual. It aims to break the wall of Syria’s isolation while extracting concessions from the regime,” said Prof Hasan Al Momani from the University of Jordan.
“Alone, Jordan cannot make a difference,” said Prof Al Momani, who teaches international relations, as he referred to the kingdom's need to co-ordinate with Arab heavyweights, as well as with the US.
He said that even if Damascus returned to the Arab League, the US and Europe would remain opposed to the rapprochement.
Saud Sharafat, a veteran security specialist who runs a research centre in Amman, said the Jordanian initiative did not appear to have US support as a result of Iran's presence in Syria.
Tehran calls the shots in Syria, Mr Sharafat said, and Washington did not seem convinced that “the regime’s rehabilitation is useful”.
The Captagon flows began in 2018 after a deal was reached by Russia, the US and Israel to hand back most of southern Syria to the Assad government, with Arab and western countries abandoning support for rebel areas.
Moscow also wants Arab states to pour in money to fund reconstruction as the civil war grinds on.
Meanwhile, Kurdish militia allied with Washington control the country’s oilfields.
In the past several months, Jordan has circulated a “step-by-step” plan to its allies in the region and abroad.
Jordanian officials have suggested that any diplomatic and monetary gains for Damascus from rehabilitation would need to be met by the Assad government moving to curb drug smuggling and pro-Iranian militia activity.
Damascus will also be required to give guarantees for the safe return of refugees, including allowing Arab nations to establish their presence in areas where the refugees would go.
Mr Momani says the Jordanian initiative received a boost from an Arab humanitarian drive after an earthquake in February killed 7,000 people in Syria, as well as subsequent trips to Damascus by senior Arab officials for the first time in more than a decade.
“Jordan wants Arab support for the initiative to become a basis for a peace process in Syria,” said Mr Momani. “It will not be cost-free for the regime.”
Diplomatic push
Two years ago, Jordan pushed, with the support of the US, for a cross-border deal that would result in Damascus supplying Lebanon with power and gas.
The deal would have put Damascus on the regional economic map and strengthened its influence in Lebanon, from where Syrian troops pulled out after a 29-year presence.
It did not take off, partly because of financial reasons and because Washington became wary about the potential rewards for Damascus after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Result
UAE (S. Tagliabue 90 1') 1-2 Uzbekistan (Shokhruz Norkhonov 48', 86')
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
T20 SQUADS
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shinwari, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf.
LEADERBOARD
%3Cp%3E-19%20T%20Fleetwood%20(Eng)%3B%20-18%20R%20McIlroy%20(NI)%2C%20T%20Lawrence%20(SA)%3B%20-16%20J%20Smith%3B%20-15%20F%20Molinari%20(Ita)%3B%20-14%20Z%20Lombard%20(SA)%2C%20S%20Crocker%20(US)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESelected%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E-11%20A%20Meronk%20(Pol)%3B%20-10%20E%20Ferguson%20(Sco)%3B%20-8%20R%20Fox%20(NZ)%20-7%20L%20Donald%20(Eng)%3B%20-5%20T%20McKibbin%20(NI)%2C%20N%20Hoejgaard%20(Den)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The five pillars of Islam
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Company%20profile
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