The Arab League

Scuffle diplomacy

The Arab League’s tussle over Lebanon exemplifies a wider power struggle in the Middle East

THE leaders of the Arab world gathered in Damascus, the capital of Syria, on Saturday March 29th for the annual Arab League summit. Some of them did at least. Others decided to give it a miss. The organisation was set up in 1945 with the aim of co-ordinating the relations and activities of its members, allowing them to discuss matters of mutual concern and express differences of opinion. The reality has proved less lofty. It has turned out as little more than a talking shop and a source of constant disappointment.

Though it brings the 22 Arab states together regularly, it seldom produces more than a lot of hot air and the occasional diplomatic squabble. This year the latter is to the fore. Lebanon is boycotting the meeting completely and Saudi Arabia and Egypt are sending low-level representatives. The leaders of Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Bahrain and Oman are staying away too. What was meant to be a display of Arab unity has ended up highlighting a growing political rift in the Middle East.

The wrangling over attendance mirrors the inter-Arab conflict that sets Syria, close chums with Iran, against its pro-Western rivals, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Backed by American arms and aid, the latter pair has dominated the Arab League since its inception. But their concern about Iran’s influence in the region is growing. Syrian ties with Iran, as well as to militant Islamists organisations, Hizbollah and Hamas, are as worrying to Saudi Arabia and Egypt as to their American allies. Both Iran and Syria stand accused by America of sponsoring terrorism; the Saudis blame Syria for prolonging the ongoing political turmoil in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s failure to elect a president is the most recent and most bitter manifestation of its neighbours’ power struggle. Lebanon may be absent from the summit, but it is still expected to dominate discussions. Lebanon has been without a president since late 2007, when Emile Lahoud’s term ended. Since then, 17 attempts to vote in a replacement have been deferred because of deadlock between the ruling coalition and the opposition over the make-up of the government.

Syria, along with Iran, backs the Hizbollah-led opposition while Saudi Arabia and Egypt support the pro-Western government. The Saudi and Egyptian leaders are staying away from Damascus in protest at what they see as Syria’s continued efforts to thwart a resolution in Lebanon. Having had their army kicked out of the country in 2005, the Syrians deny meddling in Lebanon’s internal politics but are widely suspected of involvement in the assassination over the past three years of several anti-Syrians, including Rafik Hariri, a former president. With no one willing to compromise, the impasse continues. On Friday a UN investigating team said that “criminals” had assassinated Mr Hariri.

Syria, traditionally a black sheep in the Arab world, had hoped that by hosting this summit it might be welcomed back into the fold. This seems unlikely. Some have described the alliance between Damascus, Tehran, Hizbullah and (increasingly) Hamas as an “axis of resistance”, one that aims to counter Western and Israeli influence in the region. The presence at the region of Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, despite Iran not being a part of the league, will suggest to Syria's opponents that Tehran's government is pulling the strings in Damascus.

With little hope of a solution in Lebanon emerging from the summit, it may simply turn into a chance for Syrian to reinforce its past criticism of the rest of the Arab world for a lack of support for the Palestinians. After a bloody flare-up in Gaza in February, Mr Assad may well berate his fellow Arabs for failing to aid their stranded Palestinian brethren. But a dressing-down from Syria will do nothing to ease tensions.

Tiresome bureaucracy and endless rivalries are a hallmark of meetings of the league. But Syria had hoped that this one would demonstrate a “united Arab effort”. Instead it will only exacerbate the divisions between Syria and its opponents. Behind this discord lies a hostility between America and Iran that shows no signs of easing. As relations grow ever more sour, and the regional schism ever more entrenched, the chances of reaching a settlement in Lebanon, and in other regional conflicts, remain remote.