A Syrian diplomatic source in Riyadh stated that King Fahd discussed with Khaddam and al-Shara the difficulties facing the peace process. They delivered a message from President Assad focused on the stalled peace process and the bilateral relations between the two countries.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that the message “concerns the situation in the region, the peace process, and issues of mutual interest.” The meeting was attended by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Saudi National Guard, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation, and Inspector General of Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Royal Court Advisor, Royal Court Chief Mohammed al-Nuweiser, Minister of State and member of the Saudi Council of Ministers Dr. Abdulaziz Khoider, and Syrian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mr. Omar al-Sayed.
Khaddam had arrived in Riyadh from Damascus shortly after al-Shara’s arrival from Doha. Damascus had recently called for postponing the fourth economic conference scheduled to be held in Doha on November 16, which Doha opposed.
Saudi Arabia supports the Syrian position on the peace process. Earlier yesterday, al-Shara delivered a message from President Assad to the Emir of Qatar concerning bilateral relations. SANA reported that the meeting “focused on the situation in the region, Israeli government policies and practices that have led the peace process to a dead end… The discussion also touched upon decisions issued by the Arab summit, the Arab League Council, the Islamic Conference, and the Jerusalem Committee, with an emphasis on the need to adhere to those decisions.” Al-Shara arrived in Doha the day before yesterday, where he held talks with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani on the peace process and bilateral relations between Syria and Qatar.
Al-Shara had visited Doha last January along with Khaddam. During that visit, Qatar supported the Syrian position on the peace process and the continued freeze on normalization with Israel. A spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fawaz al-Attiya, said the day before yesterday that the economic conference “is merely an economic forum and Qatar expects Israel to participate.” However, he added, “all matters are linked to developments on the political front.” It is expected that leaders of governments and businessmen from the Middle East and North Africa will meet in Doha on November 16 for a “economic summit” lasting three days, marking the fourth summit since the start of peace talks in 1991.
In April, the Arab League recommended that Arab countries halt normalization with Israel and return to economic boycott. Recently, the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv reported that at a meeting held last week in Washington, which included representatives from Israel, Qatar, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Egypt, the U.S., and Europe, approval was given for holding the conference. Yesterday, the Qatari Foreign Minister received a message from his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Velayati, regarding “the latest developments in the region,” without further details. Additionally, an official Israeli source in occupied Jerusalem announced yesterday that the Israeli government is seeking to organize an international economic conference in Jerusalem in May 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel.