Syria calls for 'joint action' ahead of first Arab summit in 12 years

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Soussan said Tuesday that there is a consensus to launch a "new phase of joint action" starting with the Arab League summit to be held on Friday in Saudi Arabia, in which Syria will participate for the first time in 12 years. 

"There is an awareness of the need for the Riyadh summit to mark the beginning of a new phase of joint Arab action," Soussan was quoted as saying by the official Syrian news agency SANA, after taking part in a preparatory meeting in Jeddah in western Saudi Arabia. 

The deputy minister is part of a Syrian delegation sent to take part in events ahead of Friday's summit, to which President Bashar al-Assad is invited, although his presence has not yet been confirmed.

Syria was readmitted to the pan-Arab entity in recent weeks, almost 12 years after its membership was suspended due to the brutal crackdown by Damascus on the popular uprisings that began against it in 2011. 

According to Soussan, participants in the Jeddah meetings "welcomed" the presence of the Syrian delegation and considered that its participation "would constitute an added value to joint Arab action", SANA reported. 

"We all strive as Arabs for our work to be unified, which would lead to strengthening the Arab position and help face common challenges, especially the challenge of development and changes in the international arena," the number two Syrian diplomat concluded.

Damascus' return to the Arab League comes after a number of countries in the region reached out again to al-Assad's government in the wake of the devastating earthquakes that struck Syria in February.