Syria is back in Arab League

Syria is back in the Arab League, more than a decade after being thrown out for its brutal repression of pro-democracy protests, which led to the ongoing civil war. In a statement, Syria's foreign ministry said it had received the League's decision with great attention and called for greater Arab cooperation and partnership.

The move is further evidence of a thaw in relations between Damascus and other Arab governments. Foreign ministers from 13 of the 22-nation



group's members were present at the meeting in Cairo yesterday where the decision to readmit Syria was taken. They stressed the need to end Syria's civil war and the resulting refugee and drug smuggling crises.

The US and UK have criticised the move. A state department spokesman said Syria did not deserve to be reinstated but that the US supported the Arab League's long-term objective of solving the crisis in Syria.