Reports: Syria Reinstated to Arab League with Immediate Effect

Media reports indicated that Arab foreign ministers made a decision during a private gathering in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday.

A diplomat from Egypt informed The National, a newspaper located in Abu Dhabi, that Syria’s re-entry into the Arab League was “conditional.” The diplomat went on to say that the return of Syrian refugees without retribution and a genuine political process in the country would be required for full membership.

The Lebanese foreign minister previously expressed the significance of Syria rejoining the Arab League and voiced his country’s backing of the procedure.

Before leaving Beirut for Cairo to attend a meeting of top Arab diplomats, Abdullah Bou Habib made remarks, which were reported by Lebanon’s online newspaper el-Nashra on Sunday.

Bou Habib commented that Lebanon has put forward proposals to the Arab League in order to get Syria back into the Arab bloc.

The envoys of the Arab League have supported the readmission of Syria into the organization.

On Saturday, a meeting of the Arab League Council’s permanent representatives reportedly resulted in support for Syria’s re-entry into the pan-Arab body, according to Saudi media.

Okaz, a Saudi daily, reported on Saturday that an unnamed diplomatic source stated that there was considerable backing for Syria’s return to Arab League meetings, as per the source.

The Arab foreign ministers will decide whether or not Syria will regain its seat in the Arab League at two extraordinary sessions in Cairo on Sunday, according to a source.

Al-Arabiya TV channel speculated that Syria could potentially be readmitted to the bloc.

Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s Foreign Minister, informed CNN on Friday that the Arab League has sufficient votes for Syria to re-join the organization.

He noted that the Arab world has now taken the initiative to tackle the Syria crisis, since there has been no successful attempt at doing so until now.

Safadi noted that the return to the league will happen, which symbolically will be important, but this is just the start of what will be a long, difficult, and challenging process due to the complexity of the crisis following 12 years of conflict.

Since March 2011, Syria has been subject to a violent campaign backed by the US and its allies, leading to destruction and chaos.

In recent years, Syrian government forces, with support from Russia and Iran, have managed to regain control of nearly all territories previously held by terrorist groups.

In November 2011, the Arab League suspended the membership of Syria, one of the organization’s founding members, as a result of accusations that Damascus had cracked down on opposition protests. Syria, in response, declared the move to be “illegal and a violation of the organization’s charter.”

In recent months, there has been a surge in the number of countries and political parties calling for Syria’s reinstatement in the Arab League.