The Arab League announced the return of Damascus to fill a seat that was frozen in 2011 due to the Assad regime's repression of popular protests. The U.S.
State Department said it will not normalize relations with Syria for the time being. The Arab League's decision comes ahead of a summit in Saudi Arabia on May 19 to discuss the situation in Syria and the Middle East. The meeting will be the first since the Syrian uprising began in March 2011, and will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.