LAWMAKERS from nine Arab countries, as well as Palestinian representatives, were in the Syrian capital of Damascus for high-level talks with the country’s President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday.

The visit follows a mini-summit in Baghdad that affirmed the Arab League’s intention to have Syria return to the organisation following the country’s devastating civil war.

The talks also reflect thawing relations with President Assad, who has been isolated from most of the region for over a decade.