Saudi Arabia and Syria Thursday pledged efforts aimed at containing political tensions in Lebanon. King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, arrived in Syria for talks with President Bashar Al-Assad before they travel together to Beirut today as part of a flurry of diplomatic efforts to contain a potentially explosive situation in Lebanon. Al-Assad's visit will be his first since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri. The two leaders held two rounds of talks during which they discussed events and developments in the Arab world and focused on the Palestinian issue, the faltering peace process and the suffering being experienced by the Palestinian people due to the Israeli siege, demolition of their houses and confiscation of their lands. They stressed the importance of reaching a just and comprehensive solution that guarantees the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people according to legitimate international resolutions and the Arab peace initiative. The talks also covered the situation in Iraq and its need for a national government, formed without foreign intervention, to achieve security, stability and unity. Addressing the situation in Lebanon, the two leaders stressed the need to ensure that leaders there disavow factional divisions. Reuters quoting an official statement said that the two leaders “affirmed that they care about backing concord in Lebanon and support all that contributes to its stability and unity”. The two leaders also reviewed overall developments in the Islamic and international arenas and the two countries' views toward these issues, in addition to discussing spheres of cooperation between the two nations and ways to boost cooperation in all areas, in the interest of the two countries. Syrian Minister of Culture Riyadh Na'san Agha has said that the meeting between King Abdullah and Al-Assad will have a “considerable effect on improving the climate of joint Arab efforts”. Agha told Okaz/SG that Syria took Arab solidarity and its “outstanding relations” with the Kingdom as its launchpad for the talks, describing the Kingdom as “our country, and its people our people”. “We have a long and profound history between us going back to before Islam, and our relations are those of a single family,” Agha said. In Beirut, Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education Hassan Mneimneh said that King Abdullah's “historic” visit will be wide-ranging in aims and content, and has come at a particularly pertinent time for the region. “The visit will reaffirm the great relations between the Kingdom and Lebanon and highlight Saudi Arabia's special role in its continuing efforts for stability in Lebanon,” Mneimneh said. “The timing follows recent internal tensions over the expected ruling of the international court, and tensions in the region concerning the Iranian-US, or European-Iranian, issue on nuclear ambitions and recent talks concerning peace. All these issues make the visit extremely important.” Qatari emir heads off to Lebanon Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani is also scheduled to arrive in Beirut today on a three-day official visit.
