Sensing Assad’s position is now secure, some Arab countries, and especially Saudi Arabia, want to bring his isolation to an end after 11 years. Millions of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon are waiting to return home, and their presence is increasingly unpopular in some countries with strained public services.Qatar, with the support of the US, is holding out against normalisation at present unless Assad makes political concessions that Raisi will impress on the Syrian leader he has no need to make.