Saudi crown prince Abdullah today in Damascus: an attempt to avoid pressure on Syria
Saudi Arabia-Syria, Politics, 5/6/2005

Well-informed Saudi sources said that the Saudi crown prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz will arrive today in Damascus. The visit aims "giving thoughts" in order to avoid more American pressure on Syria and to encourage the Syrian president to achieve what he had expressed of good intention for internal reforms and regional cooperation.

Sources accompanying crown prince Abdullah who was currently in Morocco said that "the positive results of the talks of the Saudi crown prince with the American President George Bush on April 25th made him carry out visits to Egypt and Syria."

The sources added that the Saudi crown prince does not only intend from his visit to Damascus "to brief the Syrian president with the American stand towards Syria, rather to review suggestions avoiding Syria the American pressures and to pave for the creation of a new start of relations between Washington and Damascus."

According to the same sources, the Saudi crown prince discussed with Bush the Syrian issue and the key regional role Syria plays and how to deal with Damascus and that the Saudi and American sides were convinced of giving the opportunity to President Bashar al-Assad to carry out political and security reforms in his country and to encourage him to do so, to give Damascus an opportunity to draw a clear policy with Lebanon away from interventions especially those of the security forces."

The sources explained that the Saudi crown prince encouraged the American president "to pursue the policy of cooperation with Syria instead of pressuring it so as to help President al-Assad to achieve reform in his country." The sources added that "as a result of the crown prince talks with President Bush and his staff administration, the crown prince found out that it is required at the meantime to invest all Arab potentials towards the peace process and ensure the platform to achieve just and comprehensive peace for the Arab- Israeli conflict." He added that the crown prince was able to convince Bush and his staff administration to "give the issue of finding a peaceful settlement for the Middle East question and solving the Palestinian issue, top interest, so as this to be coincided with the needed political and economic reform for the region." The sources continued that what the crown prince found of positive response at the American administration to this effect, showed that Washington is convinced to give priority to the issue of solving the Palestinian question in its policy in the region in the coming phase." Thanks to these positive results, the Saudi crown prince found in the American stand, he decided to visit Egypt and Syria in order to discuss the future of the political work in the region, according to the same sources.

However, Saudi sources in the escorts of crown prince Abdullah to Morocco said on Wednesday that the crown prince will visit Syria after Egypt on Friday. One official in the Jordanian Royal court said that the crown prince will pay a short visit to Jordan on Saturday within an Arab tour including Egypt and Syria.

Previous Stories:
  Syrian message to the Saudi crown prince   (4/12/2005)
  Saudi FM: talks with Syria are fruitful   (3/5/2005)
  Syria denies differences with Saudi Arabia over Lebanese issue   (3/5/2005)

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