Syria and Saudi Arabia, Friends Again
This story was filed by CBS News' George Baghdadi in Damascus.
The visit is the first of its kind since 2005, when bilateral relations hit rock bottom in 2005 following the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri, who was close with Riyadh. Syria was accused of the murder and, under intense regional and international pressure, withdrew the troops from Lebanon it sent to end the civil war there. Damascus denies any involvement in Hariri's murder.
Above: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, left, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, seen upon their arrival at al-Shaab presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Oct. 7, 2009.
Saudi-Syrian ties also soured over opposing stances on several other Middle East issues, including the Iraq war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A sweetening in that relationship could have significant repercussions for the region. Washington is hoping to engage Syria in a new round of peace talks with Israel. The Obama administration and its Arab allies want to diminish the influence Iranian-backed groups Hezbollah and Hamas have over regional affairs. Syria wields influence over these militant organizations, classified by Washington as terrorist groups.
The Saudis reopened diplomatic paths with Syria after Damascus's apparent non-interference in Lebanon's general election in June, after which Hariri's son, Saad Hariri, was designated as prime minister. In early July, Riyadh named a new ambassador to Syria after leaving the post vacant for a year.
A meeting last week between Saad Hariri and his political opponent Michel Aoun, who is close to Syria, is seen as "evidence that cooperation between the two larger countries can yield a political breakthrough there," as stated by one Damascus-based diplomat on condition of anonymity.
The Saudi King received a red-carpet welcome by President Bashar Assad at the Presidential Palace overlooking the capital. It was expected to outdo ceremonies bestowed upon other leaders, by far.
Syrian official sources said both leaders would "examine bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and the situation on the Arab and international arenas."
Assad and Abdullah have met previously. Assad's visit to Saudi Arabia in September to participate in the opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology gave new hope for friendship between the two heavyweight Arab countries.
Abdullah's two-day rapprochement visit to Damascus was seen by some Arab analysts as an attempt by the kingdom to reassert itself as a regional leader.
"Saudi Arabia wants to re-engage with Damascus after it has seen its sway in Arab affairs falling in the face of growing Iranian influence in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories," said one analyst who wished to remain unnamed.
Syria has been Tehran's strongest ally in the Arab world since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. Some Arab countries, such as oil-rich Saudi and Egypt, have been trying to peel Syria away from Iran but these moves have thus far proven unsuccessful.
Washington had an antagonistic relationship with Assad until President Obama took office and began an outreach to Damascus. Last week, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal al-Mekdad met U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew, the highest-level meeting between Americans and Syrians in years.