US 'Troubled' UAE Hosted Assad in a Bid to 'Legitimise' Damascus, Warns Allies Against Normalisation

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is disappointed and troubled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's visit to the United Arab Emirates and does not support efforts to legitimise him, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
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"We are profoundly disappointed and troubled by this apparent attempt to legitimize Bashar al-Assad... As Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken has reiterated, we do not support efforts to rehabilitate Assad; and we do not support others normalising relations", Price said in a statement on Friday. "We have been clear about this with our partners".
Syrian President Bashar Assad has visited the United Arab Emirates and met with UAE Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Syrian leader's press office said on Friday. According to Damascus, they discussed relations between the two countries, including issues related to trade and investments.

Assad visited the UAE for the first time since 2011, when a civil war broke out in the country and major regional players turned their backs on the Syrian president. America's primary goal in the Syrian crisis was to overthrow Assad (a "dictator", as they have labelled him) and install a pro-US government, though officially, Washington claimed it was determined to combat terrorists in the region. By 2016, Daesh* and other radicals took control of major territorial strongholds in Syria and nearby Iraq. The US role in combating terrorists has been considered controversial.

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Last year, Washington openly threatened Arab states over a possible rapprochement with Damascus, following the first presidential elections in Syria since the civil war, in which Assad claimed victory with 95.1% of the vote. According to a senior US administration official, Washington did not witness a "major change in behaviour" by President Assad. However, his win proved Western efforts to stage a coup d'etat failed in Syria.
The US sanctions and economic blockade have prevented Arab leaders from normalising relations with Damascus, but Friday's meeting could be a light at the end of the tunnel.

The Biden administration recently received a slap in the face from his Saudi and Emirati partners, who refused to take calls from the US president as he was seeking to urge them to boost oil production amid skyrocketing crude prices, sources told the media. Prices have been on the rise as the administration banned imports of oil and gas from Russia, which, in fact, have now become a headache for American consumers.

As Western partners are actively searching for alternative energy sources, the Saudi crown prince on Friday confirmed Riyadh's unwillingness to ditch the OPEC+ agreement for the sake of increased oil production.
Amid strains with Russia, the US, in what was an extremely unusual gesture (and, perhaps, a backstabbing move towards opposition leader Guaido who they supported as an "interim president of Venezuela"), sent its officials to Caracas to negotiate a deal, though none has been reached so far.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organisation outlawed in Russia and many other states.
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