The Arab League summit opens Friday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was among the participants, for the first time since his country's exclusion at the end of 2011.
The summit comes in a context of regional détente, marked by the rapprochement in recent months between the Saudi kingdom and its great regional rival, Iran. Saudi Arabia has also played a leading role in evacuating thousands of civilians from Sudan, the scene of deadly fighting for the past month.