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Syria attends first Arab League meeting in 11 years
Damascus ended over a decade of exile from the Arab League on Monday as officials participated in a preparatory session ahead of Friday's summit
Syria's President Bashar Al Assad receives an invitation from Saudi Arabia's king through Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Jordan Naif bin Bandar Al Sudairi to attend the Arab League summit, in Damascus. — Reuters file
Syria ended over a decade of exile from the Arab League on Monday as officials participated in a preparatory session ahead of Friday's summit in Saudi Arabia.
"I... take this opportunity to welcome the Syrian Arab Republic to the League of Arab States," Saudi finance minister Mohammed al-Jadaan told the meeting, which was broadcast live by state TV channel Al Ekhbariya.
Jadaan added that he was "looking forward to working with everyone to achieve what we aspire to", as the camera panned to the Syrian delegation.
It is the first time Syrian officials have participated in an Arab League meeting since the body suspended Damascus in November 2011 over its violent crackdown on protests which spiralled into a conflict that has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.
Earlier this month, the pan-Arab body officially welcomed back Syria's government, securing President Bashar Al Assad's return to the Arab fold.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia; has invited Assad to attend Friday's summit in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah, which would be his first since the 2010 meeting in Libya.
Regional capitals have gradually been warming to Assad as he has held onto power and clawed back lost territory with crucial support from Iran and Russia.
Diplomatic activity picked up after a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey on February 6.
A decision in March by Saudi Arabia and Iran, a close ally of Damascus, to resume ties has also shifted the regional political landscape.
Top diplomats from nine Arab countries discussed the Syria crisis in Saudi Arabia last month, and five regional foreign ministers including Syria's met in Jordan on May 1.
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