Arab League chief says Assad can attend summit

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad can attend an Arab League summit later this month "if he wishes to", Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Sunday after the Syrian regime was readmitted to the League.

Responding to a question over whether Assad could participate at the summit in Saudi Arabia, Aboul Gheit told a news conference in Cairo: "If he wishes, because Syria, starting from this evening, is a full member of the Arab League, and from tomorrow morning they have the right to occupy any seat.”

"When the invitation is sent by the hosting country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and if he wishes to participate, he will participate," he added.

Foreign ministers from Arab League member states agreed to reinstate Syria’s membership after its suspension more than 10 years ago.

The ministers voted for Syria’s return into the fold at the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo on Sunday.

The decision was made in advance of the Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia on May 19 and amid a flurry of regional normalisation of ties with Damascus in recent weeks.

Syria called on Sunday for Arab states to show “mutual respect”, after the Arab League voted to readmit it.

Arab states should pursue "an effective approach based on mutual respect", the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that also stressed the "importance of joint work and dialogue to undertake the challenges facing Arab countries".