Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shook hands Friday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the Arab League summit in Jeddah, after 12 years of Syria's suspension.
Ostracized by most Arab states following the crackdown on protests against his rule in 2011 and the ensuing civil war that killed 350,000 people, his government's readmission to the bloc is a signal that Assad's isolation is ending.
Ahead of the summit, the United States reiterated its opposition to normalization of relations with Damascus. "We do not believe that Syria should be (afforded) reentry into the Arab League," U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters in Washington, adding sanctions should not be lifted.
"As it related to normalization, we don't support normalization with the Assad regime, and we don't support our partners doing so."
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