A planned visit to Saudi Arabia by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, the first since a public row between the two Arab states last month, has been cancelled, a Saudi official said on Tuesday. "The scheduled visit has been cancelled," the official told AFP.
Muallem had been expected to hold talks on Tuesday with King Abdullah in the Red Sea city of Jeddah and convey him a message from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He was also to hold talks with his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal.
Tensions between Riyadh and Damascus erupted into a public row a few weeks ago after Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara claimed that the oil-rich kingdom's regional role had become paralyzed. Riyadh reacted by saying that Damascus was trying to stoke disorder in the region.
