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Saudi king visits Syria for first time as relations thaw
 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Damascus on Oct. 7. (Reuters/Khaled Al-Hariri) |
BEIRUT — On Oct. 7, Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz, accompanied by a high-level delegation, arrived in Damascus for a two-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and coordinating positions on Arab issues, primarily the U.S.-Middle East peace process and the situation in Lebanon. It was the King’s first visit to Syria since he took the throne.
President Bashar al-Assad issued the invitation during his recent trip to Jeddah, to attend the opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. The exchange of visits may herald the normalisation of relations between the two countries, following years of tension after the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri in February 2005.
President Al-Assad greeted the Saudi monarch at the airport. They then proceeded to the People’s Palace where they held two rounds of talks, the first in private and the second in the presence of the two delegations.
The Saudi monarch launched an initiative aimed at achieving an Arab détente at the Kuwait Economic Summit last February. This was followed by a mini-summit in Riyadh, which brought together Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Kuwait in March. A series of written exchanges followed, most recently a letter from Al-Assad to the King, delivered by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem. A letter delivered to Damascus by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Moqran Bin Abdelaziz emphasised the importance of consultation and coordination on issues affecting the welfare of the two countries and the Arab people.
Experts say that Riyadh now wants to see a shift in Syria’s approach, away from its strategic alliance with Iran and towards an Arab détente and the resolution of issues involving Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine.
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