Saudi king in Syria amid regional tensions

The Saudi king has made a rare journey to Damascus to discuss regional issues with Syria's president in a tour that comes amid heightened tensions between Arab states in the Middle East.

Syria and Saudi Arabia have long been on opposite sides of a deep rift in the Arab world, with Syria backing militant groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas. The kingdom is a US ally, along with Jordan and Egypt.

President Bashar Assad and King Abdullah agreed that the "challenges facing Arabs, mainly in occupied Palestine, necessitate that all (Arabs) double their efforts to upgrade inter-Arab relations", Syria's official news agency reported after the end of the meeting.

The two leaders stressed the need to support all means to boost stability and unity in Lebanon.

Relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia began to thaw in recent years, and this visit appears to indicate the countries are trying to show a united front as regional tempers mount, including those in neighbouring Lebanon over pending indictments in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Many in Lebanon blame Syria for the assassination, a claim that Damascus denies. Hariri was a Sunni leader with strong Saudi links and his killing exacerbated the already-strained relationship between Riyadh and Damascus.

Hariri's death was followed by the rise of a US- and Saudi-backed March 14 coalition, named after a day of massive anti-Syrian protests in 2005 dubbed the "Cedar Revolution".

The demonstrations eventually led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops, ending almost three decades of Syrian domination established during Lebanon's civil war.

An international tribunal investigating Hariri's death has not announced who will be charged, but the leader of the Shiite Hezbollah said last week members of his group will be among those indicted.

Hassan Nasrallah's announcement appeared to be an attempt to undercut the effects of any indictment, and he dismissed the tribunal as an "Israeli plot".

Many in Lebanon worry that if the tribunal implicates Hezbollah, it could lead to another round of clashes between Lebanon's Shiite and Sunni communities, such as the bloody conflict that convulsed Beirut in 2008.

Tensions in Lebanon have generated so much concern that Assad was expected to travel to Beirut on Friday in his first trip there since his troops were forced out.

Regional tensions also are high over reports that Syria sent Scud missiles to Hezbollah and suspicions that Hezbollah patron Iran wants to acquire nuclear weapons. Syria, which denied sending Scuds, is Iran's strongest ally in the Arab world.

As part of his tour, Abdullah has already visited Egypt and is set to travel to Lebanon and Jordan later this week.