The Arab League's annual summit began in Saudi Arabia late on Friday afternoon, with 22 member states taking part.
Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad is returning to the Arab fold at the event in Jeddah – 12 years after his country was suspended by the league, when demonstrations in Syria descended into civil war.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, is attending the summit on behalf of President Sheikh Mohamed and led a delegation of senior UAE officials, state news agency Wam reported.
The summit began with a speech by Algeria’s delegation, who hosted the last summit in November.
Following months of diplomatic wrangling and efforts by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Mr Al Assad, once viewed as a pariah, finally touched down in the Saudi coastal city late on Thursday, after Riyadh managed to gather enough consensus to reinstate Syria.
Mr Assad appeared relaxed as he was greeted on the tarmac by Prince Badr bin Sultan, deputy governor of Makkah, along with Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and several Saudi officials.
The heads of states of the UAE, Kuwait, Morocco, Algeria, Oman, Sudan and Lebanon will be sending representatives to the summit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the summit as a guest of honour in Saudi Arabia. The leader is making a quick stop in Jeddah before joining the G7 leaders' meeting in Hiroshima, Japan.
Mr Zelenskyy confirmed it was his first visit to the kingdom, during which he was hoping to help strengthen Ukraine’s relationship with the Arab world.
“Political prisoners in Crimea and temporarily occupied territories, the return of our people, Peace Formula, energy co-operation. KSA plays a significant role and we are ready to take our co-operation to a new level,” he tweeted from Jeddah.
Agenda plan for 2023
While it was still unclear whether he will meet other Arab leaders on Friday, Mr Assad has been confirmed as the head of Syria’s delegation at the general assembly at the Ritz Carlton, when the Arab League convenes its 32nd summit.
Mr Al Assad will address the afternoon gathering in Jeddah, his first to his Arab peers on a regional stage since the conflict in Syria began.
The league is expected to pass 32 draft resolutions as part of the Arab action plan for 2023 that will focus on “renewal and change”, a person with knowledge of the matter confirmed to The National.
Top of the list of topics on which decisions will be made on Friday will be the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
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Vice President Mansour bin Zayed with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Jeddah during the 32nd Arab League Summit. AFP -
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, right, with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Arab League Summit in Jeddah. AFP -
Tunisian President Kais Saied, left, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. AP -
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, left, and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan. AFP -
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ahead of the Arab League summit in Jeddah. Reuters -
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi talks with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, alongside Tunisia's President Kais Saied, ahead of the summit. Reuters -
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi with Saudia Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, ahead of the summit. Reuters -
Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Asaad bin Tariq Al Said meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Arab League summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Reuters -
Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al Sabah attends the summit. AFP -
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends the Arab League summit. Photo: Spa -
Jordan's King Abdullah II at the summit. Photo: Spa -
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad participates in the summit in Jeddah. Photo: Spa -
Sheikh Tamim, the Emir of Qatar, attends the summit. Photo: Spa -
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addresses the summit. Photo: Spa -
Egypt's President Abdul Fattah El Sisi participates in the summit in Jeddah. Photo: Spa -
Prince Mohammed speaks with Sheikh Tamim before the Arab League summit in Jeddah. Reuters -
Prince Mohammed with Mr Zelenskyy before the Arab League summit in Jeddah. Reuters -
Prince Mohammed with Egypt's Mr El Sisi ahead of the summit in Jeddah. Reuters -
Prince Mohammed with Syria's Mr Al Assad in Jeddah. Reuters -
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, with Prince Mohammed in Jeddah. Reuters -
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, with Prince Badr bin Sultan, deputy governor of Makkah, after arriving in Jeddah for the 32nd Arab League summit. Reuters -
Arab leaders before the Arab League summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Reuters -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Jeddah for the summit. Reuters -
Prince Mohammed greets Mr Al Assad at the Arab League summit in Jeddah. -
Prince Badr greeting Mr Zelenskyy in Jeddah. EPA -
Mr Zelenskyy is welcomed as he arrives for the Arab League meeting. AFP -
Mr Zelenskyy is escorted to the Arab League summit. SPA -
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, arrives at the Arab League Summit in Jeddah. Photo: UAE Presidential Court -
Jordan's King Abdullah arrives to attend the Arab League Summit. Reuters -
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani. Reuters -
Prince Badr welcomes Morocco's Prince Moulay Rachid. AFP -
Prince Badr with Algeria's Prime Minister Aimene Benabderrahmane after the latter's arrival in Jeddah to take part in the Arab League summit. AFP -
Prince Badr welcomes Mr Benabderrahmane in Jeddah. AFP -
Prince Badr welcomes Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Jeddah for the summit. AFP -
Prince Badr greets Mohamed Al Manfi, the head of Libya's Presidential Council, upon his arrival in Jeddah. AFP -
Syria's Mr Al Assad meets Prince Badr before the Arab League summit. Reuters -
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets Tunisia's President Kais Saied. AFP -
Watching Mr Al Assad on TV in Damascus on the eve of the summit. AFP -
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan greets his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein in Jeddah. Photo: Spa -
Prince Badr receives Mr Al Assad. Photo: Spa -
Prince Badr with Asaad bin Tariq Al Said, Oman's Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Co-operation Affairs. Photo: Spa -
Mr Al Assad talks to Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League, at Jeddah airport. Photo: Spa -
Prince Badr receives Tunisia's Mr Saied in Jeddah. Photo: Spa -
Prince Badr, right, welcomes Oman's Mr Al Said. Photo: Spa -
Prince Badr welcomes Mr Saied in Jeddah on the eve of the Arab League Summit. Photo: Spa -
Mr Al Assad arrives in Jeddah. Reuters -
Prince Badr welcomes Palestine's Mr Abbas. AFP -
Bahrain's King Hamad arrives in Jeddah for the Arab League Summit. AFP -
King Hamad meets Prince Badr, right, in Jeddah. Reuters -
Prince Badr welcomes Egypt's Mr El Sisi in Jeddah before the Arab League summit. AFP -
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati is received by Prince Badr as he arrives in Jeddah. Reuters -
Prince Badr meets Mr Abbas in the Saudi port city. AFP -
Prince Badr welcomes Mr Abbas to Jeddah before the summit. AFP -
Prince Badr walks with King Hamad in Jeddah. AFP
The Sudan crisis will also be a major focus of the league's action plan, with the final communique expected to call for continued joint Arab efforts to reach a permanent and immediate ceasefire in Khartoum.
For a week and a half, representatives of the two Sudanese camps have been locked in negotiations brokered by Saudi and US officials.
In 2011, the Arab League suspended Syria's membership over the suppression of protests against Mr Al Assad's rule.
With Syria's return to the league, discussions on Friday will also focus on the impact of its 12-year civil war and measures to address reconstruction and the safe return of refugees.
The situation in Lebanon will also be discussed, a source confirmed, especially the impact of a presidential vacuum and the dire economic conditions the country faces.
Atmosphere of optimism
Speaking on the eve of the summit, GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi told reporters that the positive atmosphere at the Jeddah summit would eventually reverberate across the region, despite the remaining geopolitical challenges.
“We haven’t had an Arab League summit participation at this level for several years, especially during the past decade,” he said.
“What we’re witnessing in terms of positive re-engagement in the weeks leading up to the summit can only translate to positive outcomes after Friday’s summit.”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been pushing for peace in the region and over the past months.
Riyadh has improved its relations with Iran, restored ties with Syria and is ending the kingdom’s years-long war in Yemen.
Iran, a main backer of the Syrian government in the country's conflict, signed an agreement in China in March to resume relations with Saudi Arabia.
Tehran has also expressed its support for Damascus’s rapprochement with its regional neighbours.
The renewed Saudi-Iran ties are expected to have a positive effect on Middle East countries where the two support rival groups.
In March, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan first hinted at increased engagement with Syria.
Prince Faisal said consensus had been building in the Arab world that isolating Syria was not working and dialogue was needed, particularly to address the humanitarian situation in the country.
Mr Al Assad benefitted from the support of Arab states after the earthquake on February 6 that killed thousands of people in Syria.
In 2018, the UAE was among the first to re-establish full ties with Syria, and it has been leading the charge to reintegrate Damascus.
President Sheikh Mohamed also met Mr Al Assad in Abu Dhabi in March, with the two leaders discussing regional stability.
Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at think tank Chatham House, told The National that Saudi Arabia was investing in its diplomatic policy as it sought to realign the region’s conflicts.
“I think Riyadh has certainly been, for a few years now, prioritising its domestic economy and seeks to lower the regional temperature in order to guarantee a more stable investment environment in the region,” Ms Vakil said.
“For a few years, actually, there has been a shift where Prince Mohammed bin Salman has prioritised or supported efforts to draw down the war in Yemen.
“We also saw the AlUla agreement, we've seen rapprochement between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, in addition to all of the flurry of the de-escalation that we've seen among other countries as well.”
Saudi political analyst Khaled Al Batarfi said Riyadh needs to realign the region’s security in order to prioritise its domestic policy ambitions under its Vision 2030 programme.
“We have to remember when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said all those years ago that he envisioned the Middle East region becoming the new Europe. For that to happen, the region has to be unified and we’re witnessing that foreign policy change in action not just during this week’s summit but in the year ahead,” Mr Batarfi told The National.
While unity may be the goal Riyadh and its neighbours seek, Friday’s summit may not achieve complete consensus on some issues, including the return of Syria.
Last year, Qatar remained one of the few Arab countries that said it would refuse to even consider normalising ties with Syria.
Earlier this month, however, Qatar made clear it opposed normalising its own ties with Damascus but said it would not stand in the way of an Arab consensus. Alongside Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco still remain opposed to fully normalising relations with Syria.
Meanwhile, Arab reconciliation with the Assad government still faces opposition from Washington DC, where a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday intended to bar the American government from recognising Mr Assad as Syria's president and to enhance Washington's ability to impose sanctions.
The bill would prohibit the government from recognising or normalising relations with any Syrian government led by Mr Al Assad, who is under US sanctions, and expands on the Caesar Act, which imposed a tough round of sanctions on Syria in 2020.
