While Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, have pushed for Syria and Assad’s rehabilitation, others, including Qatar, have been opposed to full normalization without a political solution to the Syrian conflict.
Few are willing to set terms for Syria’s return, with Jordan’s foreign minister saying last week that re-admitting Syria by the Arab League would be the start of “a very long and difficult and challenging process”.
Sunday’s decision said Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and the secretary-general of the Arab League would form a ministerial contact group to liaise with the Syrian government and find a “step-by-step” solution to the crisis.