President al-Assad, Crown Prince Abdullah hold talks in Damascus
Syria-Saudi Arabia, Politics, 6/3/1999

Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz arrived in Damascus on Wednesday night on an official visit to Damascus. He was first welcomed by Syrian President Hafez al-Assad at the airport, as well as by the Syrian vice presidents, prime minister, Cabinet ministers and high-ranking Syrian officials.

At the Damascus Tishreen palace, Crown Prince Abdullah and President al-Assad held a meeting, attended by Syrian Vice Presidents Abdul Halim Khaddam and Muhammad Zuheir Masharqa, Prime Minister Mahmoud al-Zou'bi and the minister for presidential affairs for Syria.

For the Saudi side, the meeting was attended by the Saudi official delegation accompanying Crown Prince Abdullah and the Saudi ambassador in Damascus.

Later, President al-Assad and the crown prince resumed talks at the people's palace in Damascus. Talks dealt with current regional developments, attitudes and tasks to be taken by the Arab in defense of their causes. Talks also dealt with inter-Arab relations, means and ways of strengthening Arab cooperation and matters pertaining to bilateral relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia.

In this respect the Saudi ambassador in Damascus, Bader Abdullah Bin Baker, has asserted the importance of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to Syria. He stressed Riyadh's backing for Syria's position in the Middle East peace process. In a statement to Monte Carlo radio, Bin Baker stressed his country's position in supporting Arab rights to restoring all occupied Arab lands, especially the Golan Heights and holy Jerusalem, in order to establish just and comprehensive peace in the region.

Meanwhile, in a statement to the Saudi daily al-Riyadh on Wednesday, Syrian Minister of Information Muhammad Salman said: "We consider any meeting between leaders of the countries not only a consolidation of bilateral relations, rather serving the national interests of the Arab nation, strengthening its solidarity and crystallizing and Arab stand which is capable of defending rights and interests of the Arab nation."

The minister added, "Rearranging the Arab house and attempts to upgrade common Arab work to the level of confronting arising challenges, are but in the forefront of the priorities both in Syria and Saudi Arabia."

Salman continued: "We are in Syria with the convening of all Arab meetings on all levels; it is intended to foster the Arab stand for the interests of the Arabs present and future."

The Saudi crown prince is accompanied by an official Saudi delegation comprising princes Nawaf Bin Abdul Aziz; Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal; Abdul Elah Bin Abdul Aziz, the undersecretary of the national guard in western Saudi Arabia; Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad, deputy chairman of the military body of the national guard; Mot'ib Bin Abdul Aziz; Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz; Turkey Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz; chairman of the crown prince's office, Naseh al-Rajhi; and advisor of the crown prince, Abdul Mohsin al-Tweijari.

Previous Stories:
  Saudi crown prince arrives in Damascus today   (6/2/1999)
  Saudi crown prince to discusses peace process in Damascus tomorrow   (6/1/1999)
  A message from King Fahd to President al-Assad   (1/20/1999)

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