Saudi Arabia, allies meet in Jordan amid debate over Syria return to Arab League

Top diplomats from Saudi Arabia and its allies wrapped up two days of talks in Jordan’s Dead Sea resort on Thursday, aimed at coordinating policy on conflicts gripping the region. The closed-door meetings were a “consultation between brothers and friends,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said. The six ministers exchanged views “on our regional issues and ways of cooperation to overcome regional crises,” he said. The Dead Sea meeting came amid debate over the return of Syria to the Arab League, which suspended Damascus’ membership in November 2011. Several Arab states, including Lebanon and Tunisia, have called for Syria’s return, AFP reports. The talks, which also involved the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, came two weeks before a planned US-Polish conference on the Middle East.