The normalization of relations between Riyadh and Damascus continues. Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday, May 9, the return of its diplomatic representation in Syria after 11 years of rupture with the Damascus regime.

The oil-rich Gulf monarchy has recently moved closer to Syria as well as Iran, a major supporter of President Bashar al-Assad.

"Saudi Arabia has decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Syria," the Ministry of Affairs said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. Riyadh is seeking to "develop joint Arab action," he said.

This decision of the leader of the Gulf countries and regional heavyweight comes two days after the reintegration of Syria into the Arab League, announced Sunday, May 7 in Cairo.

Meeting in Cairo, Arab foreign ministers voted unanimously for the Syrian delegation to "sit back in the Arab League."

President Assad himself is now "welcome if he wants" on May 19 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the organization's annual summit of heads of state, said its secretary-general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

For its part, Damascus had indicated that it wanted to "strengthen cooperation" while the regime is banking on normalization in particular with the rich monarchies of the Gulf, to finance the costly reconstruction of a fragmented country with devastated infrastructure.

Involving regional and international actors, the war has claimed an estimated half a million lives. Nearly half of Syrians are now refugees or internally displaced persons, and parts of the territory are still outside government control.

Regional warming for Damascus

Bashar al-Assad had recently emerged from his persona non grata status, taking advantage of a surge of global solidarity in February after earthquakes devastated large areas of Syria, as well as Turkey.

The Syrian president has also done well in the regional game thanks to the unexpected rapprochement between two great rivals, Riyadh and Tehran, his loyal support.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhane even made an unprecedented visit to Damascus in mid-April, where he was received by Bashar al-Assad.

In this context of regional warming, Turkey is also beginning to reconnect with the Syrian regime, with the foreign ministers of the two countries due to meet Wednesday in Russia, another power very close to Bashar al-Assad.

But in Doha, the Syrian opposition is fulminating. "Crimes cannot be rewarded by returning to the table of Arab countries," Bilal Turkia, the Syrian opposition representative in Qatar, said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to him, Syria's return to the Arab League gives "a green light to more brutality on the part of this regime whose behavior will not change".

Washington has "no intention of normalizing relations" with Bashar al-Assad

Opposed to normalization with Bashar al-Assad, like the United States and the European powers, Qatar hosts the only Syrian embassy run by the opposition.

For Washington, Syria "does not deserve to be readmitted to the Arab League". "Our position is clear: We have no intention of normalizing relations with Mr. Assad and his regime," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Washington.

The same goes for London. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, speaking alongside Antony Blinken, said he was "very uncomfortable" with the Arab League's decision: "Brutality against the Syrian people cannot be ignored. And the UK is certainly not going to sweep that under the rug."

In addition to Saudi Arabia, many other Arab countries have taken steps towards Damascus, especially the United Arab Emirates but also Egypt, Oman and Tunisia.

With AFP

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