“Arab League Votes to Readmit Syria After 12-Year Suspension”

During a meeting in the city of Cairo on Sunday, Arab League members voted to readmit Syria after suspending their membership 12 years ago. This is the latest measure that has been taken to restore ties between the Arab countries and Damascus. The Arab League revoked Syria’s membership in 2011 over President Bashar al-Assad’s violent crackdown on protesters that plunged the country into a devastating civil war that claimed the lives of nearly half a million people and forced Millions more to leave their homes. These were the words expressed by the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Secretario general Ahmed Aboul Gheit: “The return of Syria is the beginning of a path, not the end. The measures to resolve the crisis in Syria will delay the implementation of the procedures, which will be done gradually. The task of this committee is to follow up on these procedures. Furthermore, this does not imply that relations between the Arab countries and Syria will be resumed. This is a sovereign decision that each country must make on its own.”