Cairo, 7 May 2023 (dpa/MIA) – Arab foreign ministers on Sunday adopted a decision readmitting Syria to the Arab League, more than a decade after its membership was suspended, a spokesman for the pan-Arab organization said.

At an emergency meeting in Cairo, the ministers decided on resumption of Syria’s participation in the organization’s meetings starting from Sunday, Gamal Roshdy, the spokesman for the Arab League secretary general, added.

Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League in 2011 in protest against the Syrian government's use of excessive military force to quell a pro-democracy uprising that evolved into a civil war.

Iraq, a neighbour of Syria, also confirmed readmission of Damascus, Iraq’s state news agency INA quoted the Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahaf as saying.

"The diplomacy of dialogue and Arab integration endeavours adopted by Iraq marked a real effort in Syria’s return to the Arab League," INA quoted al-Sahaf as saying without elaborating.

In an address to his counterparts at the start of the meeting, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who headed the talks, said there is no military solution to Syria’s crisis.

"We are fully convinced that the only way to settlement [of the crisis] is a purely Syrian political solution without foreign dictates," he added.

"At the time when the Arab countries are undertaking their responsibilities in pushing forward a political solution to the Syrian crisis, given the current international stalemate, we stress that the Syrian government bears the principal responsibility for reaching this solution and implementing related commitments," Shoukry added.

Syria’s readmission to the Arab League comes ahead of a pan-Arab summit which Saudi Arabia, a regional heavyweight, will host on May 19.

Saudi-owned television Al Arabiya earlier Sunday reported that the Arab foreign ministers agreed on a "conditional return" to the Arab League based on the step-by-step principle.

Syria is required to secure arrival of cross-border humanitarian aid, the return of refugees and release of detainees and resume talks with the opposition on crafting a new constitution, the broadcaster added.

In return, the Arab governments pledge to contribute to the reconstruction of Syria, urge allies to withdraw their forces and coordinate with the Syrian army to control borders, the report said.

In recent months, several Arab officials have travelled to Damascus, while Syria’s top diplomat has visited some Arab countries, signalling a likely end to the pariah status of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Last month, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan visited Damascus and met al-Assad, marking the first such trip to Syria in more than a decade.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq met earlier this month in Amman with their Syrian counterpart and discussed steps to solve the Syrian crisis and normalize ties with al-Assad's government.

A prominent Syrian opposition politician voiced dismay over the Arab moves.

"It is the Assad regime’s return to the Arab League, not Syria,” Yehya Aridi told dpa.

"It is complete abandonment of the plight of the Syrian people and crimes of the regime against them,” he added.

The Arab rapprochement with the Syrian government comes as Saudi Arabia, which previously supported the rebels, and Iran, one of al-Assad's main allies, agreed to restore ties in March.

Photo: EPA