Arab League readmits Syria at Cairo meeting after more than a decade

Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry , Arab League Sec-Gen Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and assistant Sec-Gen of Arab League Hossam Zaki attend an Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo. on May 7, 2023. (AFP)

• Syria’s membership of the Arab League was suspended in 2011 after a bloody crackdown on street protests against Assad
• The situation in Syria ultimately led to a devastating civil war, making many Arab states pull their envoys from Damascus

DUBAI: Arab League foreign ministers adopted a decision to readmit Syria after more than a decade of suspension on Sunday, a spokesperson for the league said, consolidating a regional push to normalize ties with President Bashar Al-Assad.
The decision was made at an Arab foreign ministers meeting at the league’s headquarters in Cairo, the spokesman for its Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Gamal Roshdy, said.
Syria’s membership of the Arab League was suspended in 2011 after a bloody crackdown on street protests against Assad that led to a devastating civil war, and many Arab states pulled their envoys out of Damascus.
Recently, several Arab states including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have re-engaged with Syria in high-level visits and meetings, though some, including Qatar, remain opposed to full normalization without a political solution to Syria’s conflict.
Arab states have been trying to reach consensus on whether to invite Assad to an Arab League summit on May 19 in Riyadh to discuss the pace of normalizing ties and on what terms Syria could be allowed back.