Arab leaders continue to flock to the Saudi city of Jeddah to participate in the 32nd Arab Summit to be held on Friday.

A number of Arab heads of state have arrived, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Tunisian President Kais Saied, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ahmed Ghazouani, and Oman's head of delegation Asaad bin Tariq, Deputy Prime Minister.

This is Bashar al-Assad's first participation in an Arab summit since the Sirte summit in Libya in 2010 before the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, and then the suspension of his country's membership in the Arab League in the same year.

On May 12, the Arab League announced the end of the 2011-year freeze on Damascus' seat against the backdrop of a military crackdown on popular protests that erupted in <> to demand a peaceful transfer of power.

The summit is scheduled to discuss several key issues, including the Palestinian issue and the Sudanese crisis, in addition to economic files within the framework of the Arab League's development plans.

Lack of proof

In a related context, a Sudanese diplomatic source told Al Jazeera that the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, will not be able to participate in the Arab summit despite receiving an invitation from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

The source justified the absence of proof of the compelling circumstances that Sudan is going through that require its presence in the country.

The source said that the Sudanese delegation is likely to be headed by the envoy of the President of the Sovereign Council and Undersecretary of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, Dafallah Haj Ali.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the Jeddah summit, and the level of representation is expected to be "high," according to observers, in light of attempts to zero Arab crises and invite Assad to attend.

Since next Monday, preparatory meetings have continued in preparation for the summit, most notably at the levels of Arab foreign ministers, and decisions are expected to be issued regarding the crises of Palestine, Syria, Libya and Lebanon, and the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.