Syria’s Assad Takes Part in Arab Leaders Summit in Saudi Arabia

Syria’s Assad Taking Part in Arab Leaders Summit in Saudi Arabia

(Photo : AHMAD HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Syria’s Assad will be reintroduced into the Arab Leader’s Summit sponsored by Saudi Arabia.

The isolation of Syria's Assad might end in the scheduled Arab Leaders Summit, which will include him.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has been a pariah since 2011.
Saudi Arabia, the host of the Arab Leaders Summit, requested Assad's presence.

The Arab Leaders Summit scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia will have the participation of Syria's Assad. The significance of the participation of Damascus comes at the heels of the Iran-Saudi deal promising stability and peace to the tumultuous Middle East.

Syria's Assad and Saudi Arabia Work Together

On Sunday, several sources said that the once ostracized Syrian President Bashar Assad would make an appearance at the Arab League Summit in Riyadh, reported Daily Sabah.

This would signal the end of Syria as a pariah in the Middle East after the 2011 civil wars, which cut diplomatic ties.

A formal invitation to be given by KSA's Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Damascus soon for the summit to be held on May 19, remarked two unidentified sources. A request for comment from the Saudi government's communication office and the foreign ministries of the two Arab states had no response, noted Gulf News.

The representative of the Arab League secretary-general, Gamal Roshdy, stated they do not have information on all bilateral relationships of all Arab states. He added they are not always in the know if there is a visit.

Syria's Isolation Might End in the Arab Leaders Summit

It is significant for Bashar Assad to be at the summit as Syria is rehabbed after getting kicked out of the league in 2011-alleged suppression of protests against his administration leading to the present civil war. Allowing the Syrians back into the body is a more objective approach to resolving the civil war.

A month back, Riyadh and Damascus opened consulates after Ramadan.

One of these sources indicated that several points were covered by the discussions as prerequisites to fixing broken ties that, included border security. Another is to deal with cross-border drug trafficking, cited Wion.

Prince Faisal did not visit or even Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad due to the deadly quake that struck Turkey and Syria last February. Last Saturday, Mekdad went to Cairo after a ten-year hiatus, and they spoke of cooperation.

A source in Egypt said that the visit was to plan the return of Damascus with the support of the Egyptians and Saudis. Not all nations are okay with the ending of the pariah status of Damascus, and one is the US and Qatar still citing what Assad did in 2011. They want an end solution to the conflict.

One mover of KSA and Damascus officials is boosting Arab re-unification made possible by the Beijing-mediated deal between Saudi and Iran. Assad's support of Riyadh helped smooth out the Arab League's concerns. The renewed understanding with Riyadh and Tehran is the major shift as Iran and Israel are saber rattling.

On early Sunday when Israelis struck Syrian outposts in the Homs province mentioned in the details. Syria's Defense Ministry and Western intel sources say the air in the center of Syria was attacked, with Iranians injured in the strikes.

The development of Syria's Assad as part of the Arab Leader's Summit getting sponsored by Saudi Arabia is a serious geopolitical shift, with Washington waiting for what comes next.