Saudi diplomats to resume work at Syria mission; Damascus to follow suit

Syria's Bashar al Assad has cemented his return to the Arab fold as leading regional power Saudi Arabia, which long supported Syria's opposition, said its diplomats would resume work in the country.

The restoration of diplomatic ties on Tuesday, later confirmed by Damascus, came more than a decade after Riyadh withdrew its representatives during Syria's civil war, and two days after the Arab League bloc ended Syria's years-long suspension.

The kingdom "has decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Syria," Riyadh's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, saying it would seek to "develop joint Arab action".

Syria's SANA news agency also said, "the Syrian Arab Republic has decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia," quoting a Foreign Ministry source.

Saudi Arabia will host the pan-Arab bloc's next summit on May 19.

Assad had been politically isolated in the region since Syria's war began, but a flurry of diplomatic activity has been under way in the past weeks after a decision by Saudi Arabia and Iran, a close ally of Damascus, to resume ties shifted the political landscape.

Three weeks ago Assad met in Damascus with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the first such visit since the war broke out in 2011.

At that time, Assad and Prince Faisal discussed steps to "achieve a comprehensive political settlement that ... contributes to Syria's return to the Arab fold," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.

Saudi Arabia severed ties with Assad's government in 2012 and Riyadh had long openly championed Assad's ouster, backing Syrian rebels in earlier stages of the war.

In recent years, as Assad consolidated control over most of the country, Syria's neighbours have begun to take steps toward rapprochement.

On Sunday, the Arab League welcomed back Syria.

US, UK to work with Arab countries

Arab League foreign ministers on Sunday emphasised their "keenness to launch a leading Arab role in efforts to resolve" the Syria crisis.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, head of the 22-member Arab League, said the decision "brings the Arab side into communication with the Syrian government for the first time in years".

Syria's return to the bloc is "the beginning ... not the end of the issue", he added, noting it was up to individual countries to decide whether to resume ties with Damascus.

The Syrian National Coalition, the main opposition alliance, said Sunday's decision meant "abandoning" Syrians and leaving them "without official Arab support".

The United States and Britain said they still opposed relations with Assad but would work with Arab states that are re-establishing relations.

"And our position is clear: We are not going to be in the business of normalising relations with Assad and with that regime," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Washington.

But Blinken said the United States shared the goals of Arab partners in Syria, including on providing humanitarian assistance and combating Daesh.

"So I think the Arab perspective, as articulated through the Arab League, is they believe that they can pursue these objectives through more direct engagement," Blinken said.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, speaking alongside Blinken, said London was "very uncomfortable" with the Arab League decision.

"We cannot just wish away the actions of the Assad regime over the last few years; the brutality against Syrian people cannot just be ignored. And the UK certainly won't brush that under the carpet," Cleverly said.