Syrian president will not attend Arab summit in Baghdad

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa will not attend the Arab League summit in Iraq, his office has confirmed (Stephanie Lecocq/AP)

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa will not attend an Arab League summit in Iraq this week and the country’s delegation will be headed by the foreign minister, the president’s office has said.

A short statement released by the office of President Ahmad al-Sharaa did not give a reason why he will not attend the summit but an invitation by the Iraqi government last month trigged sharp political divisions in Iraq.