Despite opposition from Western countries, Arab foreign ministers announced on Sunday Syria’s return to the Arab League during an emergency meeting that took place in the Egyptian capital ahead of the Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia on May 19.
Iraqi Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmad Al-Sahhaf announced that Syria has been brought back to the Arab League.
The Iraqi official added that Iraq’s dialogue diplomacy and efforts greatly aided Syria’s return to the Arab League.
For his part, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated that the Syrian crisis has proven throughout the years that it cannot be resolved militarily, and that the only way to reach a solution is through Syria itself, without external diktats.
He further stressed that “all forms of terrorism must be eliminated in Syria.”
On Saturday, Gamal Rushdie, a spokesperson for the LAS secretary general, said as quoted by Sputnik that the decision on Syria’s readmission to the League of Arab States (LAS) may be taken during an emergency meeting of the organization’s foreign ministers on May 7.
This is happening despite strong opposition from the U.S. and its allies. Last month, Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, said that the United States does not currently think that Syria merits readmission to the League of Arab States.