Arab foreign ministers and delegates from the Arab League countries attend an Arab League consultative meeting, at Habtoor Grand Hotel in the suburb of Sin el-Fil, east Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, July 2, 2022.
photo: AP Photo/Hassan Ammar
The Arab League announced that no date has been set for Syria's return to the bloc.
Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Hossam Zaki, said on Wednesday that the issue of Syria's return to its seat in the League "needs intensified consultation," in light of the "lack of consensus" among the members, but he did not rule out resolving this issue "before or after the Arab summit."
The Arab League also announced it would hold its annual summit in Algeria on 1 November, after a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"There are several efforts and plans led by several Arab countries to officially initiate the reinstating Syria’s membership Arab League again," the assistant secretary said.
"It is not unlikely that Syria will return to the Arab League again, but not as close as some parties and countries hope, because no date has been set for this purpose," he explained.
Syria was suspended from the 22-member Arab League in November 2011, following the start of the country's civil war. Sparked by the brutal repression of anti-government protests that same year, the war has killed an estimated 500,000 people and displaced millions.