Saudi king in Damascus for talks on Iran

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has met in Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and called on him to loosen his country's ties with Iran as well as build Arab consensus on other regional issues, including the formation of a new government in Lebanon and reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah.

Damascus was portraying the trip as a sign of the increased importance of Syria in the region. Relations between the Saudis and Syrians were frozen in 2005 following the assassination of Lebanese President Rafik Hariri, a friend of the Saudi royal family. Syria has been suspected of playing a role in the killing.

Ties have warmed in recent months, however, with the Saudis sending an ambassador back to Damascus after an 18-month vacancy. At the end of their meeting in Damascus both leaders called on the Arab world and international community to "unite their efforts in order to lift the blockade imposed on the Palestinians, end the occupation and safeguard the holy Islamic sites."

A statement released by a Syrian news agency also said that Assad and Abdullah had called for "lifting the obstacles in the relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia" and expressed their commitment "for cooperation on all levels for the two people."