Ibrahim Raisi, President of Iran, with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. The Arab League on Sunday carried out a major coup by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, made possible by warming relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The Syrian government has been isolated on the world stage for more than a decade due to its deadly and bloody the crackdown on peaceful protests in 2011 that led to a war that killed more than 500,000 people and displaced half of the country's population.
The United Arab Emirates has been pushing for Syria's return to the ranks for years, but has faced opposition from many Arab states.
Saudi Arabia recently joined the lobbying effort after agreeing to normalize diplomatic ties with a sworn enemy Iran, which is one of the main supporters of the Assad regime.
"Syria's regional isolation is officially broken" said analyst Fabrice Balanche, calling Sunday's decision a «diplomatic victory.» for Assad.
"An earthquake is the best opportunity to approach without losing face" he said, adding that «Saudi Arabia's concerns about Syria are part of the context of reconciliation with Iran.»
Sunday's decision has dealt a heavy blow to Syrians in exile, who fear that if Arab states decide to normalize diplomatic relations with Syria, refugees around the world could be sent back to a brutal regime where they will be seen as adversaries.
' ;Whitewashing the atrocities'
The Syrian Campaign, a rights group, criticized the decision to readmit Syria as «whitewashing 12 years of atrocities» and «a devastating failure for justice.»
“Nothing has changed since Syria was ousted from the Arab League due to a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in 2011. The only thing that has changed is the moral compass of the Arab member states. Over the years, the brutality and scope of the regime’s abuses have increased dramatically,” said Leila Kiki, executive director of the Syria Campaign.
The decision, effective immediately, will allow Bashar al-Assad to travel to Saudi Arabia for the next meeting of the League of the Arab States on May 19.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministers, who met in Cairo on Sunday for a decision, stressed their willingness to create a leading Arab role in the settlement effort" crisis in Syria and its “humanitarian, security and political implications”.
For many participants, the need to stop the spread of Captagon, methamphetamine, which has flooded the region and whose production is tied close to the Syrian government, is the main reason for the need regime reintegration. Although it affects the entire region, Saudi Arabia has become the largest market for this drug, while Iraq and Jordan are struggling to stop its flow through their borders.
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