Saudi Arabia is set to invite Syria’s authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad to a summit of Arab leaders in May, according to Reuters, the most significant step in normalizing relations with the brutal Syrian regime since Syria erupted into civil war more than a decade ago. Syria was booted from the Arab League in 2011 following Assad’s violent response to protests in the country, which led to the deaths of at least 3,500 people at the time. Hundreds of thousands have since died in the conflict, and Assad has employed various chemical weapons against Syrian fighters. Still, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan is set to deliver the invitation himself during a visit to Syria later this month, according to Reuters. “We are not supposed to be informed in advance about the assumed visit,” a spokesperson for the Arab League told the wire.
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