Balanced News: Arab League reinstates Syrian membership after a 12-year suspension

The Arab League agreed to reinstate Syria on Sunday, ending a 12-year suspension. Some influential league members remained opposed to welcoming back the country, chief among them Qatar, which did not send its foreign minister to Sunday’s gathering. The decision represented a victory for Damascus, albeit a largely symbolic one. Western sanctions against Assad’s government still remain in place and the return into the fold is not expected to lead to a quick release of reconstruction funds in the war-battered country.