Syria flag (flickr).
On May 7, foreign ministers from Arab League member states agreed to reinstate Syria’s membership after its suspension more than a decade ago.
The ministers unanimously voted for Syria return into the fold at the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo, said Gamal Roshdy, spokesman for the organization’s secretary general.
A statement by the Arab League said Syria could resume its participation in orgnization’s meetings immediately, while calling for a resolution of the crisis resulting from the war in the country, including the flight of refugees to neighboring countries and drug smuggling across the region.
The country’s membership in the Arab League was suspended when the war first broke out in 2011. Back then, most Arab states were supporting the rebels to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Efforts to restore Syria’s membership in the organization gained momentum earlier this year following a rapprochement between the country and Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to CNN last week, Jordan’s foreign minister said that the Arab League’s reacceptance of Syria would only be the start of “a very long and difficult and challenging process” to end the war in the country.
Recent reports revealed ongoing discussions to invite President al-Assad to the next Arab League summit, which will be held on May 19 in the Saudi city of Riyadh. Despite readmitting Syria into the organization, some Arab states, including Qatar, remained opposed to full normalization without progress in the political process to end the war.
Overall, Syria’s return to the Arab League is without a doubt a symbolic victory for the country and its close allies, Russia and Iran. It is also yet another blow to continuous Western attempts to isolate and overthrow President al-Assad.
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