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Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Arab foreign ministers discuss Syria crisis at Saudi meeting

Saudi Arabia hosts a meeting of foreign ministers from Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 14, 2023. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

Gulf Arab foreign ministers and their counterparts from Egypt, Iraq and Jordan discussed Syria's possible return to the Arab fold at a meeting in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The meeting, held in the city of Jeddah, was called by Saudi Arabia, amid a recent thaw in regional tensions, but ended without agreement, the statement said.

Some Arab states, including regional heavyweights Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, have mended ties with Damascus, in contrast to 2011 when many Western and Arab states boycotted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 over his brutal crackdown on protests.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud meets Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 15, 2023. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

However, Syria's broader normalisation with the Arab world remains a sensitive issue for several countries.

Earlier this week, Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said the original basis for the 2011 suspension of Syria's membership in the Arab League still stands.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud meets Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 14, 2023. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

(Reporting by Moaz Abd-Alaziz; Writing by Rachna Uppal; Editing by Sandra Maler, Rosalba O'Brien and Leslie Adler)

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