The Arab League reinstated Syria after 11 years of suspension, further solidifying a regional effort to establish normalized relations with the country. However, this decision has been criticized by Washington.
Syria’s Arab League membership was revoked in 2011 after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on protesters sparked a civil war, resulting in nearly half a million deaths and 23 million displaced individuals.
The decision was made ahead of the Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia on May 19, amid a flurry of regional normalization of ties with Damascus in recent weeks.
The vote took place following a meeting of top regional diplomats from Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria in Jordan last week when they dubbed the process of bringing Damascus back into the Arab fold the “Jordanian Initiative”.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Sunday that al-Assad can attend the Arab League summit later this month “if he wishes to”. Syria called on Sunday for Arab states to show “mutual respect” after the Arab League voted to readmit it.
Opposition groups have criticized the normalization of ties with Damascus, but the Arab bloc said it was the way forward. “We respect all opinions on this issue. We understand what the opposition has been saying, and we do appreciate that they are in a difficult position,” Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League Hossam Zaki told Al Jazeera.
“The Syrian crisis has been spilling over very negative effects on the neighboring countries. The neighboring countries and the region, especially the Arab countries, feel that this situation needs to be resolved. This is why we reached this point,” Zaki added.
Washington criticizes the move
Meanwhile, the United States has said it will not change its policy towards the Syrian government, deeming it a “rogue” state, and urging Arab states to get something in return for engaging with al-Assad. It remains to be seen how Syria’s re-entry into the Arab fold will affect the ongoing conflict in the country and the wider Middle East region.
Restoration of ties with Damascus
The restoration of ties with Damascus quickened pace following the deadly February 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and the Chinese-brokered re-establishment of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had backed opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.
While Saudi Arabia had long resisted normalizing relations with al-Assad, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud visited Damascus last month for the first time in more than a decade, and the two countries are also restoring embassies and flights between them.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi also visited Damascus last week, signing long-term trade and oil agreements. Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar had opposed al-Assad’s presence at the Arab League summit, saying an invitation before Damascus agrees to negotiate a peace plan would be premature.