All Eyes in Lebanon on Syrian-Saudi Summit
Saudi and Syrian influence over Lebanon was back on track with reports that no Cabinet deal would be reached before a summit between the two Arab states expected to take place later Wednesday.
Syrian daily Al-Watan said Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz is due to arrive in Syria Wednesday afternoon on a two-day official visit "at the head of an important delegation."
It will be Abdullah”s first visit to Syria since he acceded to the throne in 2005. The summit is also a further sign of warning ties between Damascus and Riyadh.
On Monday the royal court in an announcement carried by the official Saudi news agency SPA said Abdullah would travel to Syria "in the coming days."
Relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia deteriorated in the wake of the 2003 invasion of Iraq over Saudi support for the United States.
Abdullah”s trip confirms the improving ties between Damascus and Riyadh, long rivals for influence in the Arab world whose relations soured further after the allegedly Syrian-linked 2005 murder of Lebanon”s ex-premier Rafik Hariri.
Hariri, who also held Saudi nationality, was close to the monarchy in the oil-rich Gulf state and had extensive business interests in the kingdom.
Riyadh has likewise been at odds with Damascus over its warm relations with Saudi Arabia”s rival Iran and its support for Hizbullah.
In early July, Riyadh named a new ambassador to Syria after leaving the post vacant for a year and a visit to Damascus by Abdullah has been in the works since that time, according to Saudi officials.