Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moallem delivered a message from President Bashar Al-Assad to King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, here Tuesday, which sources said was another sign that relations between the two countries were on the mend. The message was in response to one from the King delivered to Assad earlier this month by Intelligence chief Prince Meqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, calling for improved relations, sources said. The sources told Saudi Gazette that Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal is expected to visit Damascus “very soon” to deliver a message from the King to Al-Assad. A diplomatic source said that a Saudi ambassador to Damascus has been nominated. The post had fallen vacant after Ahmed Al-Qahtani was recalled from Damascus last year and sent as ambassador to Doha, Qatar. Saudi-Syrian relations had soured after the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri, who was close to the Kingdom, over investigations into allegations of a conspiracy involving Syrian officials. Syria denies any role in the attack. Relations were further strained last December and January during Israel's offensive against Gaza, when Arab solidarity was tested over differences in support to the embattled Palestinians divided between Hamas, backed by Syria, and Fatah. However, fence-mending efforts picked up last month after King Abdullah called for Arab reconciliation at an Arab summit in Kuwait, when he also met with Assad to discuss regional and international issues, the Saudi Press Agency said. Parallel moves are progressing for a similar patch up between Egypt and Qatar ahead of an Arab summit next month in Doha, for which Saudi Arabia is throwing its whole weight for Arab reconciliation and unity. King Abdullah received Al-Moallem on Tuesday at Rwadat Al-Khuraim, the royal rest house on the outskirts of Riyadh. An Arab diplomat said Al-Moallem also discussed with Prince Saud ways to bridge bilateral differences, including ongoing efforts for reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.
