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FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1634
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA IMMEDIATE 0230
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH IMMEDIATE 0329
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 001303 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV SA SY LE TU
SUBJECT: ASAD'S VISIT: SAUDI-SYRIAN RAPPROCHEMENT BACK ON TRACK? 
 
REF: A. BEIRUT 1079 
     ¶B. RIYADH 1154 
 
RIYADH 00001303  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh, 
reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1.  (C) Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad's unexpected 
attendance at the King Abdullah University of Science and 
Technology (KAUST) opening, and his lengthy meeting with King 
Abdullah on the margins, has encouraged speculation about 
further Saudi-Syrian rapprochement and its potential regional 
implications.  Post contacts describe media reports of the 
meeting as largely accurate, noting that Lebanese government 
formation, Palestinian reconciliation, and Asad's invitation 
to King Abdullah to visit Damascus dominated the agenda. 
They confirm that Turkish mediation played a role in bringing 
about the visit, and suggest that the Saudis and Syrians now 
have a clearer picture of one another's expectations.  While 
the Saudi King has agreed in principle to visit Damascus, it 
is still unclear how quickly this will come about or if 
Lebanese government formation is a prerequisite, though 
travel by a Saudi delegation to Beirut Sep 30 suggests this 
may be the case.  Contacts suggest the King will travel with 
the newly-appointed Syrian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mahdi 
Dakhlallah within "the next few weeks."  END SUMMARY. 
 
UNEXPECTED VISIT RAISES EXPECTATIONS 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (U) Asad's last-minute decision to attend the September 
23 KAUST opening came as a surprise to almost everyone 
involved.  Press reports characterized the move as a clear 
sign of continued Saudi-Syrian rapprochement and focused 
heavily on its potential impact on the government formation 
process in Lebanon.  The official Saudi Press Agency 
announced that the two leaders had discussed "major regional 
and international developments," without further specifics. 
The Syrian Arab News Agency downplayed the meeting's emphasis 
on Lebanon, noting that "the relationship between Damascus 
and Riyadh does not go through Beirut, and Syria and Saudi 
Arabia agree that Lebanon,s affairs must be managed by the 
Lebanese." 
ABDULLAH AND ASAD DISCUSS WHAT COMES NEXT 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) According to contacts at the Egyptian embassy, the 
media accurately reported details regarding the size and 
nature of the meeting.  King Abdullah, his son Prince 
Abdulaziz, and Asad were the only individuals present, and 
discussion of Lebanon and Palestinian reconciliation 
dominated the agenda.  The sides outlined specific, concrete 
expectations they had for one another.  With respect to 
Lebanese government formation, King Abdullah asked Asad to 
use his influence over his Syrian allies, and encourage Free 
Patriotic Movement Leader Michel Aoun to abandon his 
insistence on the Ministry of Transport and Communication 
portfolio for Gebran Bassil.  The King also urged Asad to 
push harder on Hamas to reach an agreement on Palestinian 
reconciliation in Cairo.  For his part, Asad asked the King 
to visit Damascus.  The King reportedly agreed to the visit; 
however, he did not indicate whether this visit was 
contingent upon Lebanese government formation.  Asad 
reportedly promised the King a response to his requests, 
which was delivered to Culture Minister Khoja via Syrian 
information minister Mohsen Bilal on September 27.  (NOTE: 
The Saudi Press Agency reported that Bilal had delivered an 
unspecified "invitation."  END NOTE.)  While the timing of 
any visit is still unclear, the Egyptians expect it will 
happen "within the next few weeks," and that he will travel 
with newly-appointed Syrian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 
former Information Minister Mahdi Dakhlallah.  The Saudis 
reportedly agreed to Dakhlallah's appointment on September 
26; he is expected to present his credentials at the earliest 
opportunity. 
 
¶4. (C)  Meanwhile, notwithstanding protests from both sides 
regarding the Lebanese angle, a Saudi delegation headed by 
Mecca Governor Khalid Al Faisal travelled to Beirut for 
meetings with Lebanese parliamentarians; unusually, the 
delegation included Minister of State Abdulaziz bin Fahd, who 
met with Sa'ad Hariri and President Michel Sleiman to convey 
a message from King Abdullah.  See ref A for details. 
TURKISH CHARGE: WE MADE IT HAPPEN 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Turkish Charge Sadik Arslan told Poloff on September 
 
RIYADH 00001303  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
28 that reports of intense Turkish lobbying to convince a 
reluctant Asad were true, and that the Turks had undertaken 
these efforts by their own initiative.  He also indicated 
that Jordanian King Abdullah may have played a role, though 
he did not mention any specifics.  "It was during Eid, so 
Asad was reluctant to come (to KAUST)," Arslan said, "but we 
believed it was important and the Saudi-Syrian relationship 
is essential."  Without a Saudi-Syrian agreement, he 
continued, there was little hope that Lebanon could overcome 
its government formation crisis.  As for the rumored visit of 
King Abdullah to Damascus, Arslan said, "we are hopeful that 
this will happen very soon."  When pressed as to whether this 
visit could be expected in days, weeks, or months, he 
declined to speculate, adding only that he felt the current 
atmosphere was "positive." 
 
 
COMMENT: BACK ON TRACK? 
----------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Asad's visit to the Kingdom is the latest in a series 
of steps towards a fuller Saudi-Syrian rapprochement. 
Whether the meeting will lead to the King visiting Damascus-- 
and whether this visit will become before, or after Lebanese 
government formation-- is still unclear.  Saudi Ambassador 
Abdullah Al-Eifan's arrival in Damascus on August 25 was 
confirmation that the Saudi-Syrian relationship was ready to 
enter a new phase.  However, Khoja's remark to former Charge 
d'Affaires a.i. Ambassador Erdman that the Saudis were "not 
talking to the Syrians about Lebanon" (ref a) on September 1 
suggested Lebanon was becoming an irritant to the process. 
Asad's visit, and the naming of a new Syrian Ambassador soon 
afterwards, indicates the relationship may be back on a more 
positive track. 
SMITH