Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Arab League summit. The summit will take place in Jeddah on Friday.
Assad was severely isolated internationally for more than ten years. His government brutally suppressed protests in Syria in 2011 and used harsh violence against its own people in the ensuing civil war. The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011. At the beginning of May, Syria was readmitted to theArab League. The aim is to achieve even greater cooperation, for example in politics and business, as well as to mediate conflicts.