Further Saudi-Syrian talks are aimed at fostering an Arab partnership

Akram Younis
For Al-Shorfa.com
2009-03-09

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal meets with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad (Syrian news agency, SANA)

Ever since Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz launched his surprise initiative at the Kuwait Economic Summit in late January aimed at dissolving frictions between Arab States, the Kingdom has ensured that momentum does not flag with a series of recent exchanges making strides in healing relations between Saudi Arabia and old regional adversary Syria.

Saudi Foreign Minister Emir Saud Al-Faisal's visit to Damascus on March 4, his first visit to the Syrian capital in three years, was symbolic in this context, as was Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moallam's visit to Saudi Arabia a week prior to that. In fact, the latest meeting was the fourth encounter between the two counterparts in little more than a month. After a side meeting at the Conference on the Reconstruction of Gaza in Sharm El Sheikh, the two men met again in Cairo to discuss joint Arab action with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and ways to strengthen the partnership towards the pursuit and protection of Arab interests.

The Saudi Foreign Minister reminded the Cairo meeting of Foreign Ministers that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz’s initiative at the Kuwait Summit represented an important turning point in Arab politics. It had roused Arab leaders to the realization that the time had come for them to overcome their differences and heal the divisions separating them.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad again discussed the Arab situation with the Saudi Foreign Minister and the challenges facing individual Arab countries, especially in light of recently exacerbated divisions. The Palestinian issue was also on the agenda of the talks and they explored ways in which their respective countries could best express their determination to support Palestine and Arab interests for the good of all Arabs.

President Assad said Arabs had to be guided towards a format for managing differences, a process that in and of itself would reduce the number of them. For starters, there are core issues on which the Arabs are not divided relating to Arab rights and Arab welfare, which would allow Arabs collectively to meet their obligations towards Palestine and Iraq.

King Abdullah also sent President Assad a verbal message delivered by Chief of Saudi Intelligence Emir Maqran Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in regard to the importance of coordination and consultation between the two sides where the interests and welfare of their two peoples were concerned as well as those of Arab people generally.

Source: Syrian news agency, SANA, Saudi news agency

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