Sudan’s president becomes 1st Arab leader to visit Syria since start of conflict

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, the first such visit by an Arab leader since the start of the Syrian conflict. President Bashar Assad welcomed him at the airport, state media reported. The Syrian president was quoted as saying his country would remain committed to its “Arab identity” despite the conflict in which Syria had accused some Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, of arming rebels seeking to overthrow Assad’s rule. The Arab League had suspended Syria’s seat in November 2011. Many Arab countries have closed their embassies or downgraded their ties with Damascus. However, there have been growing calls in the Arab world in recent months to normalize ties with Syria and give it back its seat in the Arab League, Reuters said.