Arab League re-admits Syria after 11-year absence

On May 7, 2023

After more than a decade of suspension, the Arab League on Sunday welcomed back Syria’s government, ensuring President Bashar al-Assad’s return to the Arab fold after years of exile.

Damascus was suspended by the organization in November 2011 for its repression on nonviolent protests that had started earlier that year and had turned into a conflict that had left more than 500,000 dead, millions of people displaced, and severely damaged the nation’s infrastructure and economy.

A political resolution to the 12-year-old conflict has not yet been reached, despite the fact that the front lines have largely calmed down. Large portions of the country’s north remain ungoverned.

In a unanimous vote, the foreign ministers of the organization decided that “government delegations from the Syrian Arab Republic will resume their participation in Arab League meetings” on Sunday.

Since the start of the war, Assad has been politically marginalized, but recent weeks have witnessed a flurry of diplomatic activity ahead of an Arab League summit on May 19 in Saudi Arabia.

The ministers highlighted their “keenness to launch a leading Arab role in efforts to resolve” the Syria situation in a statement.

To maintain “direct dialogue with the Syrian government in order to reach a comprehensive solution,” they decided to establish a ministerial committee.

The resolution “brings the Arab side into communication with the Syrian government for the first time in years, in order to look into all aspects of the problem,” according to Ahmed Aboul Gheit, head of the 22-member Arab League.

He went on to say that Syria’s rejoining the organization was “the beginning… not the end of the issue” and that it was up to individual nations to determine whether to restore diplomatic relations with Damascus.

– ‘Diplomatic victory’ –

Following the announcement, Syria’s foreign ministry stressed the importance of “Arab cooperation”, in a statement carried by state news agency SANA.

“The next stage requires an effective and constructive Arab approach… based on dialogue, mutual respect and common Arab interests”, it added.

Several Arab countries cut ties with Syria early in the conflict, betting on Assad’s demise, while some including Qatar and Saudi Arabia provided support to the Syrian opposition.

The last Arab League summit Assad attended was in 2010, while the opposition attended the pan-Arab group’s summit in Doha in 2013, sparking a furious reaction from Damascus.

At a press conference, Aboul Gheit stated. Once invited by the host Saudi Arabia, Assad was welcome to attend the meeting later this month.

As Assad has tenaciously clung to power and reclaimed territory that had been lost earlier in the conflict with vital help from Iran and Russia, regional capitals have gradually come to like him.

The recent push to reassert Damascus’ Arab affiliation has been led by the United Arab Emirates, with which it reestablished ties in late 2018.

Arab outreach to Assad’s regime was spurred by an earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6. Since Saudi Arabia and Iran’s decision to resume diplomatic relations in March, there has been an increase in regional diplomatic action. This effort has been facilitated by China.

“Syria’s regional isolation is officially broken,” analyst Fabrice Balanche said, calling Sunday’s decision a “diplomatic victory” for Assad.

“The earthquake is the best opportunity to get closer without losing face,” he told AFP, adding that “Saudi Arabia’s concern for Syria is part of the context of reconciliation with Iran.”

– ‘Pushed out of our homes’ –

In April, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan made the first visit to Damascus by a official from the kingdom since the start of the war, days after Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited Saudi Arabia, also on the first such trip.

Mekdad has visited a string of Arab countries in recent weeks in a diplomatic push.

On Monday, he attended talks in Amman with foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt to discuss the long-running conflict.

Nine Arab countries including Gulf states met in Saudi Arabia last month to discuss ending Syria’s possible return to the Arab League.

Assad is hoping normalisation with wealthy Gulf nations could bring economic relief and money for reconstruction, while analysts say sanctions will likely continue to deter investment.

But with foreign forces including from Turkey and the United States still present on Syrian territory, the war is far from over and Assad remains internationally isolated.

In northwest Syria’s rebel-held Idlib region, displaced Syrians expressed frustration at the Arab League’s decision.

“We were pushed out of our homes,” said Ghassan Yussef, 54.

“I ask the Arab rulers: where are you taking us?”

Arab League syria