RIYADH (Dispatches) – Saudi Arabia is reportedly planning to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to an Arab League summit hosted by Riyadh next month, as Arab states race to re-establish cordial relations with the government in Damascus after cutting diplomatic ties more than a decade ago.
Three sources familiar with the plan were cited by Reuters as making the revelation in a report, saying Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will travel to Damascus in coming weeks to hand Assad a formal invitation to attend the Arab League summit on May 19.
One of the three sources, who were not named in the report, said discussions have been ongoing for more than a year over a list of demands from Saudi Arabia for the Syrian government to meet as a condition to mend ties, including close cooperation on border security.
Moreover, initial discussions — as one of the sources said — for a visit by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud to Damascus or by Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to Riyadh were postponed due to February’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
The Saudi government and the foreign ministries of both countries have yet to confirm the report.
Last month, Riyadh and Damascus reached an agreement to reopen their embassies and resume consular services after the fasting holy month of Ramadan.
Contacts between Riyadh and Damascus gathered momentum following a landmark agreement earlier in March between Iran and Saudi Arabia on the restoration of bilateral relations after seven years.
Arab League heavyweight Egypt also resumed contacts with Damascus, with Mekdad meeting his Egyptian counterpart in the capital, Cairo, on Saturday to discuss strengthening of bilateral relations as well as the latest regional and international developments.
A former British ambassador to Syria said Saudi Arabia and Syria’s attempt to mend fences is a “slap in the face” and a “big setback” for the United States, calling the rapprochement an important political achievement for Syria.
Peter Ford said Sunday that the re-establishment of Damascus-Riyadh diplomatic ties shows that Syria has survived and is “going from strength to strength regionally.”
“Above all, [restoration of ties] puts pressure on the United States, which is going to interpret this as a slap in the face,” Ford said. “This is a big setback for the U.S.’ regional diplomacy.”
In another development, a high-ranking Syrian delegation has arrived in the Russian capital to take part in quadrilateral talks aimed at normalizing relations between Damascus and Ankara.
The Syrian delegation, which arrived in Moscow on Sunday, is headed by deputy foreign minister, Ayman Sousan, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.
Sousan was quoted by SANA as saying that the Syrian delegation will first hold bilateral meetings with the Russian and Iranian sides on April 3, before participating in the quadripartite meeting on April 4.
The official said the Syrian delegates will focus specifically on ending Turkey’s military presence in the Arab country, the fight against terrorism, and non-interference in Syria’s internal affairs by other countries.
Upon its arrival in Moscow, the Syrian delegation was received by the country’s ambassador to Russia, Bashar al-Jaafari.
Turkey severed its relations with Syria in March 2012, a year after the Arab country found itself in the grip of deadly violence waged by foreign-backed militants.
Now, after 11 years, the two neighboring countries are taking steps toward reconciliation.