Saudi Arabia expresses need for dialogue with Syria authorities 

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said consensus was building in the Arab world that isolating Syria was not working and that dialogue with Damascus was needed “at some point” to at least address humanitarian issues, including a return of refugees, Reuters reported.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud’s remarks at a Munich security forum on Saturday mark a shift from the early years of Syria’s 12-year civil war when several Arab states including Saudi Arabia backed rebels that fought Bashar al-Assad.

“You will see not just among the GCC [(Gulf Cooperation Council)], but in the Arab world there is a consensus growing that the status quo is not workable,” he said.

The minister said without a path towards “maximalist goals” for a political solution, another approach was “being formulated” to address the issue of Syrian refugees in neighboring states and suffering of civilians, especially after the devastating earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey.

“So that’s going to have to go through a dialogue with the government in Damascus at some point in a way that achieves at least the most important of the objectives especially as regards the humanitarian angle, the return of refugees, etc,” he said.

Riyadh has sent aid planes to Syria as part of earthquake relief efforts.