The Sunderland striker was a shock inclusion in the 25-man squad named at Hampden for this month's World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Belgium. Until now, Fletcher had not been considered for the national team since informing the SFA by text message that he did not wish to be selected for a game against Northern Ireland in February 2011.
Levein made it clear the door was closed to the 25-year-old at the start of this qualifying campaign, before Fletcher indicated last month via Twitter his willingness to pull on the dark blue jersey again if wanted.
And, following the intervention of an unnamed third party, the Scotland boss eventually "bit the bullet" and picked up the phone to end the stand-off for the sake of the nation's qualification hopes.
Levein said: "I got a text saying he was willing to have a chat about it so I called him on Monday night and, as he said to that person, he was desperate to come back and play.
"For me, then, it's a no-brainer.
"This was the right thing for Scotland and for our chances of winning the next match. That's why I did it.
"His willingness to come back and play, which I hadn't had indication of other than rumours – that was hugely important.
"And the fact is, the longer I thought about it, I thought we were in a situation where nobody was winning. So I bit the bullet, phoned him and had a chat and everything is resolved."
Fletcher has been in sparkling form this season, following his switch from Wolves to Sunderland, and has netted five goals in four Barclays Premier League outings for the Black Cats so far.
Levein said: "There is no doubt that his form just now is second to none.
"He would be the on-form striker in the Premiership and there is absolutely no doubt that is part of the thinking."
Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher is also back in the squad following a lengthy lay-off with a chronic bowel complaint, while Celtic skipper Scott Brown returns following a hip injury.
Levein said: "I do my best to try to pick the best team possible to win matches.
"That's my job and I'll continue to do that.
"Everything is about trying to win the next match. Steven coming back, along with Darren and Broony, will be a huge plus for us."
