The ministerial meeting, chaired by Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, also discussed the draft agenda of the Arab leaders’ summit this Friday, and considered the draft decisions that will be adopted.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad confirmed that president Bashar Assad will attend the summit later this week.
Speaking at the meeting, Prince Faisal joined Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and the rest of the delegates in welcoming Syria’s return to the Arab bloc.
The Saudi foreign minister also called for Arab unity to confront major global challenges.
“We have to invent new ways to meet the challenges facing our countries,” Prince Faisal said.
Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf expressed concerns over Sudan’s unrest, reiterating his country’s support to Saudi Arabia’s effort to reach a ceasefire.
The ministers stressed the importance of a ceasefire in Sudan to ensure the safety of its citizens, and called for the crisis to be treated as an internal matter.
Meanwhle, Attaf urged doubling the efforts to support the Palestinian cause until independence was achieved, and reiterated Algeria’s backing of efforts that promote peace and stability in Yemen.
“We hope the Lebanese government would reach an understanding to get the country out of its crisis,” Attaf said.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad held bilateral meetings this week in the kingdom with several of his counterparts as Damascus continues to appeal for much-needed investment in the war-torn country — crippled by the conflict and Western sanctions — and has moved to restore ties with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq.
Mekdad after the meeting told reporters that he hopes Arab governments will help with reconstruction and Syrian refugee returns. He hinted that Assad will attend the summit Friday. “Per usual, Syria cannot be absent from any summit,” he said.
Syria’s return to the Arab fold comes as Damascus is also trying to amend ties with Turkey, a key backer of the armed Syrian opposition groups in the country’s northwest.
But a few Arab countries remain skeptical of Syria's return to the league, primarily Qatar.
Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said Wednesday that his country opposes Syria's return but that it doesn't want to stand “against the Arab consensus.” Each Arab country, however, can unilaterally normalize relations with Syria, he said.
For that to happen from Qatar's perspective, Syria needs to go “through a just and comprehensive solution" to its conflict, Sheikh Mohammed added.
The summit also comes as Arab governments are scrambling to resolve the conflict in Sudan between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The fighting in the East African country, which broke out in mid-April, has left over 600 people dead and displaced tens of thousands.
In Wednesday's meeting, top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Algeria called for a cease-fire in Sudan and an end to the escalating violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
