King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, arrived here Wednesday for talks with President Bashar Al-Asad on a wide range of regional issues. The is King Abdullah's first visit to Syria since becoming the monarch, the strongest indication yet of consolidating Arab unity following years of tension. The Saudi Press Agency said that the visit is in response to an invitation extended to the King by Asad. In early March, Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Asad in a mini-summit in Riyadh, hoping to piece Arab unity together. Asad also visited the Kingdom last month to attend the opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust). George Jabbour, advisor to late Syrian president Hafez Al-Asad, has described Saudi-Syrian relations as “the safety valve for relations between Arab countries.” “Relations between the two countries were bumpy until 1970 when President Al-Asad took power with his political philosophy of Arab solidarity,” Jabbour said. “Since then, relations between the two countries have seen no tension, thanks to the wisdom of the Kingdom's leadership and President Al-Asad.” King Abdullah's visit to Damascus coincides with Syria's emergence from Western isolation as US President Barack Obama has sought its help in his quest for Mideast peace. Asad met Abdullah at the airport and took him straight to a presidential palace in the Syrian capital, political sources here said. Diplomats said an understanding between the Syrian and Saudi leaders could help forge a wider Arab stance helpful to Obama's peace efforts, promote formation of a new government in Lebanon. “The two leaders have hot files on their hands. Palestine and the suffering of Gaza; Lebanon and its need for national unity; and Iraq,” said Syrian state newspaper Al-Thawra (Revolution). “Obama needs help, and Syria has leverage over militant groups opposed to his peace proposals,” a political source said. Saudi-Syrian ties froze after the 2005 assassination of Lebanese statesman Rafiq Al-Hariri, whose allies blamed the killing on Damascus. Syria denied any involvement. Syria, keen to stay on good terms with the West, may at least be ready to use its ties with Iran to stabilize the region. “What Syria can offer on Iran is to make clear that Syria will not be party to any Iranian action against Arab interests,” Syrian journalist Thabet Salem said. He said a series of visits to Damascus by senior Western officials had effectively ended efforts to isolate Syria. “Abdullah will be the one more likely ready to compromise, because Syria is no longer isolated and Iran's position has strengthened after the latest deal with the West,” said Salem, referring to last week's nuclear talks in Geneva that resulted in tentative agreements between Tehran and six major powers. “The Syrians want the visit to avoid isolation by Arab states,” Khalid Al-Dakhil, a Saudi political analyst, said. “It also helps to dissipate the general perception that they had a hand in the assassination of Hariri and should pave the way for Hariri's son to visit (Damascus), which would be a major victory for them.” Pro-Syrian Lebanese politician Ali Hassan Khalil said the Asad-Abdullah summit would reflect positively in Lebanon, where Hariri's son Saad is prime minister-designate and has tried in vain to form a Cabinet since a parliamentary election in June . “The summit meeting will certainly help in pushing forward a domestic settlement over the (Lebanese) government,” Khalil said. “President Al-Asad has always made a special effort to follow Saudi affairs and has the constant conviction that Saudi-Syrian coordination and agreement is necessary for strengthening joint Arab work,” Jabbour said. Jabbour cited coordination between the late President Al-Asad and the Kingdom's leadership on Palestine, and recalled a conversation between King Abdul Aziz and former US president Roosevelt in Egypt in 1945, in which the latter described the Arabs as “well-known for their generosity, chivalry and hospitality”, and calling for those qualities to be shown to the “oppressed Jews”. “King Aziz replied with a question, asking who oppressed the Jews,” Jabbour recalled. “When Roosevelt replied, ‘The Germans', the King asked: ‘Then why shouldn't they be given a land in the country that oppressed them?' Roosevelt remained silent.”
