Lebanon calls on Arab League to reinstate Syria

Lebanon has called on the Arab League (AL) to lift the suspension of Syria’s membership in an effort to find a political solution to the ongoing crisis in the country.

“I call for Syria’s membership of the Arab League to be unblocked,” said Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour in an Arab League ministerial meeting on Wednesday.

“Communication with Syria…is essential for a political solution,” he added.

Syria was suspended from membership of the Cairo-based League in November 2011, eight months after the foreign-backed unrest broke out in the Arab country.

“The Arab countries failed over 15 meetings held in the Arab League to solve the Syrian crisis, but only succeeded in suspending the Syrian delegations’ partnership in the AL meetings,” the Lebanese minister added.

Mansour further said the Arab League members have held several meetings regarding the Syrian issue over the past two years, thinking that Syria will gain security and stability if its government falls, while it “sank into blood and destruction.”

Reports also indicated that a discussion occurred between Mansour and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani over Lebanon’s demand of canceling the decision of suspending the Syrian membership in the League.

Earlier in the day, the United Nations also warned that Syria was “spiraling towards full-scale disaster,” stating that the number of refugees who have fled the violence in the Arab country has reached one million.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, also said that the number of the Syrian refugees has increased since the beginning of the year, with the majority of them moving to neighboring countries, including Lebanon.

Many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed in the turmoil that broke out in Syria in March 2011.