Assad tells Arab League he hopes his return marks new era of peace in Middle East

Twelve years after his country was thrown out of the Arab League due to his bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests, Syria’s leader, Bashar al-Assad, has told a summit of the bloc that he hopes his return marks a new phase of peace and prosperity in the region

- Patrick Wintour

A smiling Assad received a warm welcome in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, voicing hope in his first summit speech since 2011 for a new era of Arab cooperation.

Assad’s return to bloc without any preconditions on future treatment of millions of Syrians displaced by civil war marks a turning point in the Middle East, and suggests his endurance and brutality has paid off.

His critics say his rule inside Syria remains fragile, with large parts of the north of the country outside his control, and millions of refugees implacably opposed to his rule in the countries surrounding Syria.

“I hope that it marks the beginning of a new phase of Arab action for solidarity among us, for peace in our region, development and prosperity instead of war and destruction,” Assad told the summit.

Arab countries, he said, had to shape their own destiny free of foreign interference, an ironic aspiration given his dependence on Iranian and Russian military support.

Assad’s arrival was marked in the streets of Jeddah, where the Syrian flag was displayed prominently. At the opening group photograph a smiling Assad hugged the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who has been pursuing a policy of regional rapprochement, restoring diplomatic ties with Iran and ending the kingdom’s years-long war against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.