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| Saudis and Syrians cement detente | Saudis and Syrians cement detente |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Saudi Arabia says King Abdullah is to hold talks with the Syrian leader in Riyadh on Wednesday. | Saudi Arabia says King Abdullah is to hold talks with the Syrian leader in Riyadh on Wednesday. |
| The king and President Bashar al-Assad will discuss "ways to bolster bilateral ties", the Saudi press agency said. | The king and President Bashar al-Assad will discuss "ways to bolster bilateral ties", the Saudi press agency said. |
| He will also meet Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, the agency said, without drawing a link between the visits. | He will also meet Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, the agency said, without drawing a link between the visits. |
| Syrian-Saudi relations have come under strain in recent years, caused by sharp differences over Iran, Lebanon and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. | |
| Israel's 22-day military offensive against Gaza, which ended on 18 January and killed more than 1,300 Palestinians, exacerbated the schism, with Egypt supporting the Saudis and Qatar siding with Syria. | |
| Last week, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal issued an invitation to Mr Assad after his talks with Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallim at an Arab foreign ministers' meeting in Egypt. | |
| Correspondents say the Saudis are mending ties to restore a semblance of Arab harmony before a summit later this month. |