Arab nations discuss ending Syria's long isolation
Arab countries gathered in Jeddah on Friday to discuss ending Syria's long spell in the diplomatic wilderness, as regional relations shift following Saudi Arabia and Iran's decision to resume ties. Ministers and top officials from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan are meeting at Saudi Arabia's request. Up for discussion in the Red Sea city is Syria's suspension from the Arab League, imposed when President Bashar al-Assad's government launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011. Backed by Iran and Russia, Assad has been shunned by many Middle Eastern countries and is a Western pariah over the war, which has killed more than half-a-million people and forced about half of Syria's pre-war population from their homes. But on Wednesday, in the latest sign of an easing in tensions with Damascus, Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrived in Jeddah, the first such visit since the war began. Mekdad and his Saudi counterpart discussed "the necessary steps" to end Damascus's isolation, according to a Saudi statement on Wednesday. Any recommendation to reinstate Syria in the 22-member Arab League, whose next meeting is due to be held in Saudi Arabia in May, is likely to draw protests from Western capitals. (AFP)