The Wall Street Journal: Russian mediation in rapprochement between the Syrian regime and Saudi Arabia
Yesterday, Thursday, the American Wall Street Journal, quoting government sources, indicated that the Syrian regime and Saudi Arabia are close to signing an agreement after negotiations mediated by Russia.
Government sources in Syria and Saudi Arabia said that the past weeks witnessed several rounds of negotiations in Moscow and Riyadh, aimed at bringing closer relations between the Syrian regime and Saudi Arabia, after they were severed following the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011.
Yesterday, Thursday, Saudi Arabia confirmed the re-opening of embassies with the Syrian regime, while an official at the Saudi Foreign Ministry later confirmed that discussions were taking place between the two parties to resume consular services between them.
Officials from Saudi Arabia, the government of the Syrian regime and other Arab countries said that the Russian government mediated a preliminary agreement when the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, visited Moscow last week, and then officials of the Syrian regime visited Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.
According to the newspaper, if a formal agreement is reached, the vote on the reintegration of the Syrian regime in the region and the reconstruction of Syria will be on the agenda of the next Arab summit expected next May in Saudi Arabia, according to officials from various Arab countries.
Since the start of the Russian war on Ukraine, last February, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has avoided being drawn into any side, and has tried to use the war as an opportunity to formulate an independent foreign policy that strengthens his country’s position as the world’s largest oil exporter.
The talks on Syria come after bin Salman gave the green light to an earlier agreement with Iran, in a deal brokered by China.
This Russian mediation would strengthen the Russian presence in the Middle East, which would serve as a reminder to the United States that its influence there is waning, according to the newspaper.
Contacts between Riyadh and Damascus gained momentum after a historic agreement to restore relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the main ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Archyde.com.
The United States, an ally of Saudi Arabia, has opposed moves by regional states to normalize relations with Assad, citing his government’s brutality and the need to see progress toward a political solution.