Syria: Dismay and fear as Bashar al-Assad returns to Arab fold

President Bashar al-Assad strode into the Arab League acme successful Jeddah, relishing the clearest designation yet that helium has won his warfare for Syria.

He was embraced by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A decennary ago, the Saudis funded anti-Assad militias. Now the prince, known arsenic MBS, wants to remake the Middle East, and helium needs Syria onside.

In a speech, President Assad insisted that Syria would ever beryllium to the Arab world. But different countries should not interfere with what happened wrong its borders.

"It is important to permission interior affairs to the country's radical arsenic they are champion capable to negociate them," helium said.

By the people, President Assad meant the person and his supporters. Between them, the princes and presidents astatine the acme person locked up galore thousands of their opponents.

Events successful Jeddah are being viewed with dismay by Syrians who blasted the Assad authorities for destroying their country, including each the Syrian refugees I person spoken to successful Lebanon.

Lebanon, tiny and poor, has had to tolerate good implicit a cardinal Syrians fleeing the war. That is the equivalent of a 4th of the Lebanese colonisation - thing similar the UK accepting implicit 15 cardinal refugees.

Now galore Lebanese person had enough, making Syrians a convenient scapegoat for their ain country's chronic economical and governmental problems.

In the past fewer weeks, the service has deported astir 1,500 of them backmost implicit the borderline astatine gunpoint, sometimes leaving children down successful Lebanon oregon forcing children retired without their parents.

A exile household speaking connected information that their identities were kept concealed talked astir beingness successful a municipality adjacent Beirut wherever a curfew has been imposed connected Syrians.

The children person been thrown retired of school. The turmoil successful their lives is wide successful their teenage daughter's anguished artwork. Their begetter views the authoritarian Arab leaders clasp of Bashar al-Assad with contempt - and fear.

"The Assad authorities is simply a dictatorship - the aforesaid arsenic the different Arab regimes. They're helping each other, cooperating against the people."

In a exile campy successful Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, Assad's beingness successful Jeddah was different crushing blow. Nasser and Marwa, a mates who've been present since 2013, fearfulness Assad's instrumentality to the Arab League mightiness beryllium an excuse for much deportations.

Marwa said she woke up each greeting thanking God she hadn't been deported.

"Now we're ever acrophobic of the raids. I ever ideate that they volition travel and instrumentality each the men and deport them."

Nasser said helium faced being drafted into the service if helium went back. He escaped Syria to debar warring for the regime. He's desperately disquieted astir what would hap to his woman and their 18-month-old girl Lillas if they are forced back.

Nasser was disgusted with the Arab League's determination to readmit Assad's Syria.

"After everything that he's done, they're hosting him. I don't recognize it, aft each the sidesplitting and destruction, and the misery successful Syria - it's not acceptable."

Syria, and the Assad regime, stay nether US and European sanctions. Amnesty International, the quality rights group, said that the president "turned Syria into a slaughterhouse".

The UK government, Amnesty said, should "strenuously reason immoderate effort to bolster Assad's planetary standing".

Some members of the Arab League agree. Qatar, which besides funded the equipped absorption successful Syria, does not o.k. of Assad's gradual instrumentality to Arab respectability.

But arsenic good arsenic the wider geopolitical plans of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who judge the Assad authorities is simply a Middle Eastern world and Syria a state they request to influence, determination are different reasons for wanting to tribunal Assad.

Jordan, arsenic good arsenic the Saudis, are warring the dispersed of a narcotic cause called Captagon, which is made successful Syria and smuggled into their countries. It is an amphetamine that was fixed to fighters to boost their endurance but is present wide utilized arsenic a recreational drug.

The US and UK person imposed sanctions connected named members of the Assad household who they accidental are heavy progressive successful the Captagon trade. Some estimates accidental the concern is worthy much than $50 cardinal (£40bn) a year.

At the United Nations, which runs a immense alleviation cognition successful Syria and Lebanon, determination is cautious anticipation Syria's readmission to the Arab League mightiness someway go a circuit breaker that allows diplomatic progress.

Imran Riza, the UN's lawman peculiar coordinator for Lebanon, tried to find a positive.

"If what's happening present successful the portion is going to assistance to get america to a governmental solution past it's a bully thing."

But the UN does not enactment forced repatriation. It insists that Syrian refugees cannot instrumentality location until their state is harmless and secure. That is simply a agelong mode off.

President Bashar al-Assad broke his state to prevention his regime. There has been nary justness for his victims.

But determination is simply a acquisition for ruthless, authoritarian leaders, not slightest his adjacent ally, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, whose decisive subject involution successful 2015 helped the Assad authorities to victory.

Wait retired the tempest and you tin outlast your enemies.