Arab official: No deal yet on Syria's return to Arab League

BEIRUT – The head of the Arab League says there has been no agreement so far for Syria's return to the group.

The league's secretary-general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, made the remarks on Monday in Lebanon, after meeting President Michel Aoun.

Aboul Gheit says an agreement would lead to an Arab foreign ministers' meeting on the subject but "until now, I haven't felt such a development or understanding."

Syria's membership in the 22-member Arab League was suspended in 2011 after the Syrian government's military crackdown on protesters calling for reforms.

The protests later turned into an armed insurgency and a full-blown civil war, now in its eight year.

Syrian President Bashar Assad is largely seen as having won the war, in part thanks to crucial political and military backing from Russia and Iran.