Syria broke 11 years of diplomatic isolation from the Arab League with its officials yesterday attending a preparatory session ahead of Friday's summit of the organization in Saudi Arabia.

Syrian officials were welcomed in Jeddah by Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan in a meeting that was broadcast live by Saudi Al-Ekhbariya TV.

This is the first time Syrian officials have attended an Arab League meeting since November 2011.

Then the pan-Arab organization suspended the president's regime Bashar al-Assad due to the violent repression of the demonstrations that escalated into conflict and civil war with 500.000 dead and millions displaced and fleeing.

The Arab League lifted the suspension on Syria on May 7, and the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman invited the Syrian president on May 10 to participate in the annual summit that will be held on Friday in Jeddah.

It will be Assad's first participation since the 2010 summit in Libya.

Countries in the region are gradually moving closer to Assad, who has retained power and regained lost territory with key support from Iran and Russia, while large areas of northern Syria remain outside his government's control.