Published: Apr 14, 2023, 03:55 IST | Updated: Apr 14, 2023, 03:55 IST
Syria was expelled from the Egypt-based Arab league in 2011 over its violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations. Today, representatives of nine Arab countries will meet in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss letting Syria attend an Arab league summit next month. Now, Qatar's prime minister has said Syria's return to Arab league is nothing but speculation. Syria has been diplomatically isolated since the start of its civil war, in which hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. Damascus has seen amplified Arab engagement since the quake, including from governments that have so far resisted normalisation. The Syrian national coalition, an opposition group that occupies the Syrian embassy in Doha, praised the Qatari stance. In a statement, the coalition said it appreciated the Qatari position, which rejects normalisation with the Syrian regime.