Syria ended over a decade of exile from the Arab League on Monday as its officials took part in a preparatory session ahead of Friday's summit in Saudi Arabia. "I... take this opportunity to welcome the Syrian Arab Republic to the League of Arab States," Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan told the meeting, which was broadcast live by state TV channel Al Ekhbariya. "There are many challenges that we must discuss and mobilize to confront, including the Arab-Israeli conflict," Syria's official news agency SANA quoted Mekdad as saying. The United Arab Emirates re-established ties with Syria in 2018 and has been leading the recent charge to reintegrate Damascus. Qatar said this month it would not normalize relations with Assad's government but also noted this would not be "an obstacle" to Arab League reintegration.
