Arab Foreign Ministers preparatory meeting for Arab summit kicks off

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The Arab Foreign Ministers' preparatory meeting for the Arab League's summit set for Friday has kicked off in Saudi Arabia with the participation of Syria after it had spent over a decade off the table.

"Our meeting is taking place today within special regional circumstances and rapid international developments that require continuing work to unite our front in order to overcome obstacles and challenges," Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf said during the meeting.

Moreover, the Algerian top diplomat stressed the need to intensify efforts to strengthen joint Arab action and neutralize the marginal tensions that divide the Arab states.

Algeria welcomes the resumption of Syria’s participation in the Arab League meetings, which reflects positively on strengthening joint Arab action, Attaf concluded.

"I welcome Syria’s participation in our meeting today, adding that the world is going through challenges that require us to unite in facing them," said Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

Moreover, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit welcomed Syria's return to the Arab League as well.

"We welcome the resumption of Syria's participation in the meetings of the League of Arab States, and we hope that its return represents the end of the crisis in it," he said.

"We must work as one bloc, and this is what gives weight to our positions and provides a protective umbrella for our region in light of international changes," Aboul Gheit underlined.

Finally, the top official affirmed that Syria is a country that has a prominent civilizational contribution to the region throughout history. "It is a founding country for the Arab League, and we are all looking forward to strengthening its role and presence."

In preparation for the meeting for the work of the Arab League summit, a meeting of delegates and senior officials was held Thursday in Jeddah with the participation of a Syrian delegation headed by Assistant Foreign Minister Ayman Sousan.

Upon assuming the presidency of the meeting, the Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Abd Al-Rahman Ibrahim Al-Rassi welcomed the Syrian delegation participating in the meeting and wished them every success.

A Syrian delegation led by Economy Minister Mohammad Samer Khalil landed in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah ahead of the upcoming Arab League Summit.

Moreover, the delegation includes Presidential Affairs Minister Mansour Fadlallah Azzam and other Syrian officials and journalists, the source said.

The delegates were said to be there to attend preparatory meetings for the Arab League's Economic and Social Council, which is in charge of economic cooperation and integration within the bloc.

The Arab League last Sunday welcomed Syria's government back into the bloc after it was removed from it in 2011.

Read more: Syria Arab League readmission is in defiance of US warnings: Bloomberg

This comes after Riyadh and Damascus announced that work would resume at their respective diplomatic missions in Syria and Saudi Arabia, after more than a decade of severed ties.

Meanwhile, the United States and the United Kingdom said they still opposed relations with the Syrian government but would work with Arab states that are re-establishing relations.