Saudi Arabia plans to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to attend the Arab summit hosted in Riyadh in May, a move that would officially end Syria's regional isolation, according to sources.
Two sources indicated that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will visit Damascus in the coming weeks to deliver a formal invitation to Assad for the summit scheduled for May 19. Preliminary discussions regarding Prince Faisal's trip to Damascus or a visit by Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to Riyadh were postponed due to the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February.
One source mentioned that discussions have been ongoing for over a year regarding a list of demands that the Kingdom wants from the Syrian government as a condition for restoring relations, including close cooperation on border security and drug trafficking.
An Egyptian security source told Reuters, "The visit aims to take steps for Syria's return to the Arab League with Egyptian and Saudi mediation." However, some countries, including the United States and Qatar, oppose the normalization of relations with Assad, citing his government's brutality during the conflict and the need for progress toward a political solution in Syria.
