'Syrian "Massacre Regime" Returns to Arab League After 12 Years'

Syria, led by President Bashar al-Assad, who has been labeled a mass murderer by the international community, is returning to the Arab League after 12 years.

Iraq's state-run INF news agency reported on the 7th (local time) that Syria's return to the Arab League was virtually confirmed at a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers held in Cairo, Egypt.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

At the meeting, a vote was held regarding Syria's return to the League, with 13 out of 22 member states voting in favor. Typically, decisions in the Arab League are made by consensus, but certain issues can be put to a vote. However, some member states, including Qatar, which opposed President al-Assad’s return and supported Syrian rebel forces, did not attend the meeting.

This agreement was reached conditionally. Arab League member states pledged to support a political resolution to the Syrian civil war and agreed to form a committee involving Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq to facilitate this. The Syrian government also promised to end the civil war as soon as possible and to cooperate with member states in jointly addressing drug trafficking and terrorism issues.

Previously, Syria was expelled from the Arab League in 2011 after the government’s harsh crackdown on anti-government protests calling for President al-Assad’s resignation. At that time, the Syrian government forces drew international condemnation for deploying chemical weapons in civilian areas to eliminate rebel forces.

Arab and Western countries initially supported the rebels, citing the harsh crackdown and atrocities during the early stages of the civil war.

However, as President al-Assad, backed by military support from allies such as Russia and Iran, regained control over most of the country’s territory, Arab states began to move toward restoring relations with Syria.

Furthermore, the devastating earthquake in T?rkiye in February, which severely affected Syria, became a decisive turning point in changing relations with neighboring countries. Led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Arab countries joined in providing aid, fostering a reconciliation atmosphere.

Major international media outlets have assessed that "President al-Assad’s return to the Arab League signifies the official end of the regime’s isolation."