Jordan is advancing a thirteen-year-old Arab peace plan to end the thirteen-year-old armed conflict in Syria, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters on Thursday, ahead of a meeting organized in Saudi Arabia to discuss the possible return of Damascus to the Arab League.

The plan is expected to be discussed on Good Friday by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Gulf Cooperation Council member states and host Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.

Syrian membership in the Arab League was suspended after a popular uprising that sparked a war in the country was crushed in 2011, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been in diplomatic isolation ever since, especially in the Arab world.

After years of international efforts to end the war stalled, the kingdom will propose the formation of an Arab mediation group that will push forward a “detailed plan” that will resolve “all key issues,” the source said.

This is a “step by step” approach, upon completion of which Syria will be able to return to the Arab League, the source continued. This is an official from Jordan, a country that has taken in 1.3 million Syrian refugees.

According to the source, the “road map” proposed by Amman will resolve the humanitarian crisis, security issues and political demands.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi discussed the plan with Syrian President Assad in February, when he made the first visit by a kingdom official to Damascus since the start of the war.

The United Arab Emirates and Oman have recently welcomed Mr. Assad as a rapprochement trend seems to have taken over the entire region, especially after the February 6 earthquake that caused widespread destruction in southern Turkey and parts of Syria.

After resuming diplomatic relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia, which has long resisted normalizing relations with Syria, appears to have taken a new approach. On Wednesday, Riyadh received Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. The two countries agreed to reopen their embassies soon.

According to a Reuters source, Jordan discussed the plan with the US and EU countries. One of the most pressing issues is the return of refugees, many of whom fear reprisals. The source stressed that Western support is critical to ending the crisis and lifting sanctions, starting the post-war reconstruction and meeting the huge humanitarian needs.

Among the most difficult issues to address are the presence of “sectarian armed groups” – a term referring to pro-Iranian organizations, especially Hezbollah – and drug trafficking, the source said. Damascus denies involvement in human trafficking.

Source: RES-IPE