Reports that Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad is planning to visit the Saudi kingdom are not true, Saudi Arabia says, in what is seen as a further indication of the tension between Riyadh and Damascus.
Saudi Foreign Minister Sa’oud Al-Fei’sal said the kingdom had not received a request for Al-Asad to visit. However, he dismissed rumors that there was a breach in their relations or that they required outside mediation.
“Our relationship with Syria stands, as well as the direct communication between the two countries, “Al-Fei’sal told reporters.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Damascus have soured over the past couple of years, primarily over the crisis in Lebanon.
Riyadh accuses Syria of perpetuating the political gridlock in Lebanon, which has been without a president since last November. Syria and Iran support the large opposition bloc in Lebanon.
Also, Syria is seen as being behind the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri, who had Saudi citizenship.
Saudi Arabia refrained from sending a high-level delegate to the Arab League summit in Damascus last month.
The recent beheading of three Syrian nationals in the Saudi Kingdom further strained these relations. Riyadh denied there were any political motives behind the execution of the Syrians, who were accused of drug trafficking.