Saudi Arabia, Syria Close to Resuming Ties in Russia-Brokered Talks
The emerging deal could leave the U.S. again on the sidelines during a dramatic shift in the Middle East’s geopolitics
DUBAI—Saudi Arabia and Syria are nearing an agreement to restore diplomatic ties after negotiations mediated by Russia, according to Saudi and Syrian officials familiar with the discussions, as the geopolitics of the Middle East shift.
Talks were continuing after rounds of discussions in Moscow and Riyadh in recent weeks, the officials said. If a deal is reached, it would mark an important step to reintegrating Syria and its leader Bashar al-Assad into the broader region after a brutal civil war.
Following the Chinese-brokered deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran on resuming ties this month, the emerging Damascus-Riyadh rapprochement, if it sticks, would leave the U.S. on the sidelines again on another major Middle East development.
Saudi and Syrian officials said negotiators are aiming to conclude a deal before a potential visit by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan to Damascus after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in late April. But they cautioned that the discussions could still break down.
Saudi Arabia and Syria cut ties in 2012 over Mr. Assad’s response to political protests that emerged from the Arab Spring uprising and his actions in the ensuing civil war. The Saudis helped orchestrate Syria’s ejection from the Arab League and funded rebels fighting Assad’s forces for years.
The Russian government brokered a preliminary agreement when Mr. Assad visited Moscow last week, said officials from Saudi Arabia, Syria and other Arab countries involved. Senior Syrian officials then visited Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.
If a formal agreement is reached, a vote on reintegration of Syria into the broader region and its reconstruction will be on the agenda of the next Arab League summit expected in May in Saudi Arabia, according to Arab officials.
Much of the Arab world has moved to set aside the rivalries that plunged the region into chaos following uprisings that began in 2011 and toppled several Middle Eastern governments. Mr. Assad has been in talks with several Arab countries to end more than a decade of isolation, and the Saudi foreign minister recently said the status quo with Syria wasn’t sustainable.
Iran also encouraged Syria to strike a deal with Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and Tehran agreed to resume diplomatic ties after a seven-year hiatus, said an Iranian official and Syrian government advisers. Other Arab countries such as Oman and Jordan have also backed the rapprochement between Damascus and Riyadh, said Arab officials familiar with the talks.
Write to Summer Said at summer.said@wsj.com and Benoit Faucon at benoit.faucon@wsj.com