Syria's government will return to the Arab League after years of isolation, according to official figures from Iraq. The step was decided, said a spokesman for the Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Sunday, according to the state agency INA. In doing so, he confirmed media reports during an extraordinary meeting of the regional organization at ministerial level in Cairo. An explanation was expected by Sunday evening.
The Arab League suspended the Assad government's membership in 2011 because of its violent crackdown on its own people. At the time, Syrian government troops violently suppressed protests in the country. The uprisings developed into a civil war that continues to this day, in which more than 350,000 people lost their lives. More than 14 million people have been displaced by the fighting, 6.8 million of them in their own country.
The Al-Arabiya news channel and the Emirati newspaper "The National" also reported on the move, citing diplomats. Syria should be obliged to resume talks with the opposition on a new constitution and pave the way for elections. In addition, the government should enable refugees to return and receive cross-border humanitarian aid and curb drug smuggling to neighbouring countries. In return, the Arab countries want to provide financial support for reconstruction in Syria and persuade allied states to withdraw from Syria.
A political solution is the "only way" to reach an agreement, said Egypt's Foreign Minister Samih Shukri at the opening of the meeting in Cairo on Sunday. Interventions by foreign states have exacerbated the crisis in Syria. The main responsibility for a solution lies with the government in Damascus. Together with allies, it now controls about 70 percent of the fragmented civil war country.
The next summit of the 22-member organization is scheduled for May 19 in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom can invite Assad to this meeting with Sunday's decision. According to Al-Arabiya, Syrian delegations can now again participate in meetings of the organization. Further approval of the heads of state and government or monarchs in the Arab countries, for example, is not required.