Saudi, Syria talks boost Mideast peace hopes

Saudi King Abdullah's landmark visit to Syria comes as a turning point in Riyadh-Damascus ties, raising expectations of eased tension in the Middle East.

King Abdullah's two-day trip was the first by a Saudi monarch since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Refiq Hariri, blamed on Syria by the Western-backed politicians in Beirut. Damascus vehemently denied any role in the murder.

The visit also followed three other meetings between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Abdullah over the last two years, and a US announcement of plans to return an ambassador to Syria after some four years.

Isolated for years by the West , Syria is under a strong trade and financial sanctions imposed by the US and has been trying to regain control of its Golan Heights, which have been long-occupied by Israel, Washington's protégé and closest ally in the Middle East.

This is while, Syria' support for Iran's steadfast pursuit of a peaceful nuclear program has irked Tel Aviv, presumably the Middle East's sole wielder of nuclear arms, and its allies in the West.

Damascus voiced its criticism of Saudi Arabia and other pro-West Arab countries for not condemning Israel's offensive against the Gaza Strip which left more than 1,400 Palestinians killed at the turn of the year.

Syrian officials, however, evaluated the talks with the Saudi monarch as productive and aimed at 'strengthening the Arab Islamic position' in the face of the Israeli intransigence.

"Syrian-Saudi ties are seeing excellent progress," said Buthaina Shaaban, an adviser to Assad, adding that Syria's ties with Iran and Turkey, as well as Saudi Arabia, would help create an effective Islamic bloc.

During their meeting, Assad and Abdullah exchanged national medals and inked an agreement to regulate taxation. They also urged politicians in Lebanon to reach consensus and form a national unity government to secure stability, unity and strength in the country.

The call comes while Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has fruitlessly been struggling to form a cabinet for months, since after the June 7 elections.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=108249§ionid=351020206.