A diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Egyptian daily Al Ahram that the team will be headed by Hossam Zaki, assistant to the secretary-general of the institution, and will be tasked with “assessing current events” following the rise to power of an Islamist alliance led by the radical Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group.

The Arab League took the initiative of contacting the foreign ministry of the new administration to arrange Zaki’s visit, it explained.

Other sources told the newspaper that “while the Syrian administration has shown openness to Arab countries, the Arab League may not be a priority for them.”

In a statement yesterday, Zaki said the decision regarding Syria’s representation in the body would be left to member states, not the General Secretariat.

Several Arab capitals have already sent delegations to that country to contact the leaders of the alliance that toppled President Bashar al-Assad.

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