Syrian newspapers Wednesday celebrated the first visit of King Abdullah to Syria since acceding to the throne in 2005 as the “long awaited visit” and as a further sign of the mending of the wall of Arab unity. “Despite the damage done by the invasion of Iraq, Arab states have always maintained a U-turn road to mutual understanding,” said Asad Aboud, chief editor of Al-Thawra (Revolution) newspaper in his column. Regional circumstances have given any formal meeting between Arab leaders a special importance because of intensive political efforts to strengthen ties and break down barriers, and this is especially true of meetings between the Saudi and Syrian leaderships, he said. The leaders will be discussing the most important issues in the region including the peace process in Palestine and the situation in Lebanon, Aboud said. “The Lebanese situation has seen signs of reconciliation and improvement and is on the road to full recovery,” he added in his column. “We wholeheartedly welcome the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques amid great expectations despite the complicated situation in the Arab World,” he concluded. State-guided Tishreen newspaper said that the Saudi-Syrian relationship is seriously focused on re-building Arab unity on the solid ground of objectivity rather than emotion, especially in cases like the Palestinian issue, without sacrificing principles. The Arab World is looking at the Saudi-Syrian summit with the confidence that it will be geared to the interests of the Ummah. “The two countries are heavy weights in the region with geo-strategic advantages that qualify them to play a major role in efforts to regain illegitimately-occupied land and confiscated rights and forge better relations with the world while maintaining Arab identity and national integrity,” the paper said. The Saudis have come to their home and people, nothing more, it added. “The Syrians welcome them like other Arabs. They are not guests, rather they are family in the heart of Damascus, the home of the Arab heart,” Tishreen said. Syrian Al-Watan newspaper said that the King's visit is not only about Lebanon, but is concerned with a farsighted vision of the horizon. The paper focused on efforts to reestablish Arab unity citing King's Abdullah speech to the Arab summit in Kuwait and the visit of the Syrian president to the Kingdom last month to attend the inauguration of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust). The relationship between Saudi Arabia and Syria is one of essence, depth and strategic planning and is not merely concerned with forming governments and choosing leaders. Rather, there are more serious and common issues in Iraq and Palestine.
