According to three sources familiar with the plans, Saudi Arabia is considering inviting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the Arab League summit that Riyadh is hosting in May. If successful, the move would officially end Syria’s isolation in the region.
Two of the individuals stated that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will visit Damascus in the upcoming weeks to formally invite Assad to the summit slated for May 19.
Requests for comments were not answered by the Saudi government’s communication office or the foreign ministries of either nation.
The Arab League does not know everything that happens on a bilateral basis between Arab nations, according to Gamal Roshdy, spokeswoman for the secretary general of the Arab League.
We are not meant to be made aware of the anticipated visit in advance, he continued.
The biggest step in Assad’s recovery within the Arab world since Syria was expelled from the league in 2011, would be his presence at an Arab League conference. Due to his harsh suppression of protesters and subsequent violence that sparked a protracted civil conflict, Assad had been shunned by many Western and Arab nations.
Syria’s re-admission to the 22-member group would largely be symbolic, but it would signal a shift in how the region views the Syrian conflict.
The war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, divided the nation, and attracted various foreign powers.
One of the three sources claimed that conversations regarding a list of requirements from Saudi Arabia.
For the Syrian government to meet as a condition to heal relations, including close collaboration. On border security and drug trafficking, have been continuing for more than a year.
The earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria in February delayed initial plans for Prince Faisal to travel to Damascus or Syrian.
Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to visit Riyadh, according to one of the individuals.
Egypt, a leader in the Arab League, has resumed communication with Assad. On the first formal visit by a Syrian foreign minister to Cairo in more than ten years on Saturday. Both parties decided to intensify their cooperation.
The brutality of Assad’s government during the crisis and the need to see progress towards a political solution in Syria. That have led some nations, including the United States and Qatar, to resist normalising relations with him.
Following a historic rapprochement deal reached in March between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Assad’s principal supporter, contacts between Saudi and Syrian officials accelerated.
In the midst of escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, Riyadh and Tehran’s reconciliation is part of a significant regional realignment.
Syria’s defence ministry reported that Israeli forces attacked outposts in the Homs province early on Sunday. While Western intelligence sources claimed that the attacks hit a number of air bases in central Syria where Iranian personnel are stationed.
