Arab league welcomes Syria back after 12 year suspension
After President Bashar al-Assad ordered a crackdown on protesters in March 2011, the country descended into a civil war, resulting in the suspension of Syria. The war has since claimed about 500,000 lives and displaced another 23 million people
Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit reacts next to Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters, to discuss the Syrian situation and Sudan crisis, in Cairo, Egypt May 7, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
War-torn Syria has rejoined the Arab League after being expelled for about 12 years.
The process of bringing Damascus back into the Arab fold was termed the “Jordanian Initiative” after a summit of top regional officials from Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria took place in Jordan last week.
Foreign ministers from the Arab League’s member nations decided to reinstate Syria’s membership at a meeting held at the organisation’s headquarters on Sunday in Cairo.
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Syria was reinstated ahead of the May 19 Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia after being dropped when President Bashar al-Assad launched a crackdown on demonstrators in early 2011.
Al-Assad might attend the upcoming Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia, according to the organisation’s secretary general.
After President Bashar al-Assad ordered a crackdown on demonstrators in March 2011, the country descended into a civil conflict that has since claimed about 500,000 lives and displaced another 23 million people.
According to Jordan’s top diplomat, Arab nations have been seeking normalisation as al-Assad tightened his grip on Syrian territory and working towards a “Arab-led political path” to resolve the situation.
Syria requested “mutual respect” from other Arab nations on Sunday after the Arab League decided to readmit it.
The Syrian foreign ministry stated in a statement that Arab nations should adopt “an effective approach based on mutual respect” and emphasised the “importance of joint work and dialogue to undertake the challenges facing Arab countries.”
The normalisation of relations with Damascus has drawn criticism from opposition organizations, but the Arab bloc maintained it was the right course to take.
“We value diversity of thought on this matter. According to Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, “We understand what the opposition has been saying and we do respect that they are in a tough position.
“The Syrian conflict has had very serious spillover consequences on the neighbouring nations. Arab nations in particular feel that this issue needs to be resolved, as do the adjacent nations and the area overall. This is how we got here,” Zaki continued.
Saudi Arabia had long opposed normalising ties with al-Assad, but this month Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud made his first trip to Damascus in more than a decade. Additionally, the two nations are reopening their embassies and flights between them.
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