Explosions hit Baghdad as Arab leaders pass Syria resolution

A number of explosions hit the center of Baghdad as the Arab League summit meeting began on Thursday morning, despite increased security measures. Two of the bombings were near the Iranian embassy according to witnesses, and there are unconfirmed reports of a third blast of an improvised explosive device (IED) near the secure Green Zone. Only 10 of the 22 Arab League leaders are in attendance, with the emir of Kuwait being the sole head of state from a Gulf Arab country, reflecting Sunni-Shiite sectarian tensions. According to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani, his country had low representation in order to send a "message" to Iraq’s majority Shiite population to stop marginalization of the country’s Sunni minority. During resumed discussions Thursday, meanwhile, the Arab League representatives agreed on a draft resolution on Syria calling for implementation of United Nations and Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan’s peace plan. After considerable debate, the final resolution did not include any threat of the use of force or a call for President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Also during the meeting, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to the Arab League for financial assistance for the Palestinians "because the PA [Palestinian Authority] is in a difficult financial situation."

Syria

While the Arab League discussed actions on Syria, violence continued in several regions throughout the country. There were two accounts of attacks by opposition gunmen on Syrian forces. In Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, two army colonels were killed. In Hama, two government soldiers were killed in an attack on an army truck. Syrian state media has blamed armed terrorists for both attacks, but no one has claimed responsibility. Meanwhile, reports from Syrian refugees in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley have given accounts of a greater sectarian element in the conflict than previously reported. According to Sunni Muslim refugees, government troops have been giving arms to Alawite villagers to spark violence between civilians of the Allawiite and Sunni sects. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke at the Arab League summit in Iraq calling for President Bashar al-Assad to implement the peace plan the government agreed to earlier this week to prevent the country from taking a "dangerous trajectory" that could have negative implications for the whole region.

Headlines  

• U.S. diplomats and intelligence officials said Azerbaijan has granted Israel access to air bases along the northern border with Iran, heightening concerns over risk of a strike.
• At least 70 people have been killed and 150 wounded in the Libyan town of Sabha during clashes that began Sunday between former rebel fighters and ethnic Toubou militiamen.
• Sweden’s Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors resigned after backlash following a media leak over discussions about building a weapons plant in Saudi Arabia.
• Turkish riot police cracked down on 1,000 demonstrators protesting education reform criticized for undermining the education of girls, allowing child labor, and including early religious education.

Arguments & Analysis

‘Ousting Syria’s Assad through a soft landing’ (David Ignatius, Washington Post)

"We should learn from recent Middle East history and seek a non-military solution in Syria – even with the inevitable fuzziness and need for compromise with unpleasant people. A Syria peace deal will also give a starring role to Russia and China, two countries that don’t deserve the good press. That’s okay with me: Vladimir Putin gets a ticker-tape parade if he can help broker a relatively peaceful departure for Assad. The case for this cautious, managed transition can be summarized with a four-letter word: Iraq."

‘Arab Spring brings steep rise in U.S. attacks in Yemen’ (Chris Woods & Emma Slater, Bureau of Investigative Journalism)

"Covert US strikes against alleged militants in Yemen have risen steeply during the Arab spring, and are currently at the same level as the CIA’s controversial drone campaign in Pakistan, a new study by the Bureau reveals. At least 26 US military and CIA strikes involving cruise missiles, aircraft, drones or naval bombardments have taken place in the volatile Gulf nation to date, killing hundreds of alleged militants linked to the regional al Qaeda franchise. But at least 54 civilians have died too, the study found. In the latest attack, US drones struck three areas of the rebel-held city of Zinjibar on March 22, killing up to 30 al Qaeda-linked militants, according to Yemen intelligence officials. Naval vessels – possibly American – also bombarded the city."

‘Iran keeps compromise option open’ (Mehdi Khalaji, WINEP)

"Clearly, if anyone in the Iranian regime is going to publicly open negotiations with the West, it will not be Khamenei. Even if the Supreme Leader decides to compromise in the coming months or is forced to do so by influential commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he would need people like Rafsanjani and Rouhani to step in and be the public face of any such process. These men have more reliable diplomatic reputations in the West than current chief nuclear negotiator Said Jalili or other officials close to Khamenei." 

–Tom Kutsch & Mary Casey