Syria seeks to regain Arab League membership
DAMASCUS

Syria is striving to regain its seat in the Arab League while working toward hosting a comprehensive national conference involving all components of the Syrian population, Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani has announced.
Speaking at a press conference in Damascus alongside Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League Hossam Zaki, Shaibani said, "We are working on holding a national conference that brings together all segments of the Syrian people," though he did not specify a date for the event.
He expressed Syria's aspirations to rejoin the Arab League, noting: "We look forward to Syria’s return to its seat in the League of Arab States and we hope this happens soon."
The minister urged Arab nations to engage quickly with Syria emphasizing the importance of collaboration to fulfill the country's regional role.
He also called on Arab countries to contribute to Syria's reconstruction efforts particularly in energy and infrastructure development.
Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met with a delegation from the Arab League.
Meanwhile, the United Nationas announced that nearly 200,000 Syrian refugees have returned home since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in early December 2024.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians had returned home last year as they fled Lebanon to escape Israeli attacks during its conflict with the Hezbollah militant group.
Those returns came before a lightning offensive by Islamist rebels late last year ousted Assad, raising hopes of an end to a 13-year civil war that killed over half million dead and sent millions seeking refuge abroad.
Türkiye, which shares a 900-kilometre (560-mile) border with Syria, hosts some 2.9 million Syrians who have fled since 2011.
Turkish authorities have allowed one member of each refugee family to make three round trips until July 1 to prepare for their resettlement.