Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad attended the inauguration of a Saudi university this week, amid speculation that the two countries are trying to mend fences, reports Bassel Oudat from Damascus Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad paid a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia this week in order to attend the opening of a Saudi university. Only hours before his arrival, the Syrian official news agency had yet to break the news, the Saudi authorities having earlier been told that the inauguration would be attended by the Syrian ambassador to Riyadh. In explaining the surprise visit, observers have pointed to the Syrian leader's visit to Turkey on 16 September, during which Turkish President Abdullah Gul may have suggested that he go to Saudi Arabia. Whether or not this explanation is correct, little has since transpired about the agenda of the Syrian-Saudi meeting during the visit, which lasted some two and a half hours. A terse Syrian-Saudi statement issued after the meeting noted only that the two leaders had discussed "horizons for bilateral cooperation and developments on the Arab, Islamic, and international scene." Prince Abdel-Aziz bin Abdallah, an adviser to the Saudi king who has visited Syria several times this year, was present during the meeting. For their part, Syrian officials voiced "satisfaction" with the talks. If the intention behind the visit was to mend fences between Syria and Saudi Arabia, President Al-Assad may have chosen a good occasion to shore up Syrian-Saudi ties. The opening of the university will have meant a lot to King Abdallah, who has planned to create it for nearly 25 years. Moreover, the company that built the university, Saudi Oger, is owned by Saad Al-Hariri, a friend of the Saudis and a presumed adversary of Damascus, which is why Al-Assad's visit is all the more significant. Observers believe that the visit will have helped to break the deadlock on the formation of a new Lebanese government and defuse tensions in inter-Arab relations. The Syrians have long maintained that their differences with the Saudis are a mere case of "misunderstanding". According to official sources, the meeting involved a discussion of regional issues, including the situation in Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, with Arab diplomatic sources saying that warmth is at last being restored between Damascus and Riyadh. Many have also speculated that Saudi King Abdallah could visit Damascus soon, perhaps after the formation of a new Lebanese government, which may happen over the next few weeks. Syria has been expecting a visit by the Saudi king since the beginning of the summer, being disappointed when the visit did not materialise. Last month, Riyadh sent an ambassador to Damascus, its first envoy in 16 months. The last Saudi ambassador to Damascus was withdrawn in March 2008. According to Lebanese sources, Lebanese prime minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri is supposed to have finished forming his cabinet before any visit by the Saudi king to Damascus. Some analysts say that any visit would help to defuse the crisis of the Lebanese government. However, others are less optimistic, with one well-informed source saying that it is difficult to speculate on the outcome of any Saudi visit or its impact on the future of inter-Arab relations. Syrian-Saudi relations hit rock bottom in 2005, following the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri, who was close to Riyadh. Saudi officials suspected Syrian involvement in the assassination and have supported moves to eject the Syrians from Lebanon. Tensions also escalated following the 2006 Israeli war in Lebanon, with the Saudis accusing Hizbullah of triggering the war. When Al-Assad described Hizbullah's critics as "half men", the Saudis took it as an insult, and relations only got worse during the recent Israeli incursion into Gaza, for which another Syrian ally, Hamas, was blamed. Syrian-Saudi differences have long cast a shadow over inter-Arab relations, with Saudi Arabia being believed to have applied pressure on Arab countries to stay away from the Arab summit held in Damascus in March 2007. However, since last January efforts have been made to reconcile Damascus and Riyadh, a first meeting being held on the margins of an economic summit in Kuwait. This was followed by a four-way summit meeting in Riyadh last March, which was attended by the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria and Egypt. One possibility that might have impelled Al-Assad's visit to Saudi Arabia at this juncture is that the Syrians are looking for Arab backing at a time when the international odds are turning against them. According to US sources, talks held last August in Damascus between the Syrians and US officials including Fredrick Hoff, deputy to the Middle East Envoy George Mitchell, and Michael Moeller from the US Central Command, were less than successful. If so, what appeared at the time as the beginning of a possible honeymoon between Washington and Damascus was in fact a mirage. Even the Iraqis are criticising the Syrians. Following Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki's visit to Damascus on 18 August, Iraq accused Syria of aiding key figures in the Iraqi Baath Party. According to Iraqi officials, Syria helped the perpetrators of the bombing that killed nearly 100 people in Baghdad on 9 August, with Iraq calling for an international investigation of the bombing. While regional powers such as Iran and Turkey are trying to sort out Iraqi-Syrian differences, the Arab countries are not, which may be a sign of Arab displeasure with Syria. Syria is being blamed for the stalemate in Lebanon, and, as the quest to form a new Lebanese government has dragged on, many have suspected Syria's local allies of stalling tactics. European officials have hinted that Damascus is only too happy to see Lebanon unravel. As for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, little is going Syria's way in this case either. Indirect talks with the Israelis have been discontinued, and the recent Obama-Netanyahu-Abbas meeting in New York led to nothing. Inter-Palestinian dialogue has also reached stalemate. Finally, Damascus has been watching changes in Israel's position on Iran closely, as well as announcements on the previously planned US missile defence system in East Europe. With Moscow and Washington now apparently sorting out their differences, Damascus is biding its time, wary about the outcome of an upcoming meeting between Iran and Western nations. Should Iran offer to help the Americans in the Middle East in return for keeping its nuclear programme, the Syrians will have every reason to worry. For the time being, however, some observers believe that the Syrian-Saudi rapprochement has not yet gone beyond a simple exchange of courtesies, with differences between the two countries not being confined only to the formation of the Lebanese government, but also to other regional issues, including Syrian-Egyptian relations, ties with Iran, and the situation in Palestine and Iraq. In short, it may be too early for Damascus to celebrate.
