MOSCOW. Aug 8 (Interfax) - The Arab League may agree to restore Syria's membership even under President Bashar al-Assad if the country fulfils the Geneva communique conditions that require the establishment of a transitional government and the end of violence, Arab League Ambassador to Russia Jalal Mashta has said.
"The Arab League is not treating this matter in terms of personalities," Mashta told Interfax when asked whether al-Assad's reelection to another term means that Syria's membership in the Arab League will not be restored within the next few years.
"The problem is how to resolve the Syrian problem. The Geneva communique says that it is necessary to form a transitional body that will prepare new elections. Simultaneously, a solution should be found to the issue of ending the violence. And, naturally, all other matters are linked with it," the Arab diplomat said.
Mashta offered his comments in response to the appointment of Italian diplomat Staffan de Mistura to the post of UN special envoy for Syria, while his predecessors, Kofi Anna and Lakhdar Brahimi, represented both the UN and the Arab League in this process.
"His [de Mistura's] mandate says that he will have an Arab assistant," Mashta said.
"His post will be called differently, but, hopefully, his contacts with the Arab League will be very active, and the league is ready to contribute to all of these efforts," he said.