War of words heats up between Syria, Saudi Arabia

Source: AFP

War of words heats up between Syria, Saudi Arabia
By Agence France Presse (AFP)

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

DUBAI: Tensions between regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Syria are running high because of sharp discord over Lebanon, as the country faces fresh turmoil over a divisive election and a high-profile court case. Relations have turned decidedly frosty, with Riyadh no longer endorsing a strong role for Damascus in Lebanon, where it held political and military sway for almost three decades, analysts said.

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In a tit-for-tat tirade, Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa aroused Saudi Arabia's ire for suggesting that the oil-rich kingdom's regional influence was almost in a state of paralysis. Riyadh retorted that Damascus, already in US sights for failing to do enough to end the conflict in neighboring Iraq, was trying to stoke disorder in the region.

Relations chilled after the assassination of the Saudi-backed Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, which ultimately led to Syria's humiliating pullout of its troops in Lebanon after a three-decade military presence.

And they deteriorated further last summer when Saudi Arabia implicitly accused Hizbullah of provoking the 34-day war with Israel which devastated Lebanon. Syrian President Bashar Assad infuriated Arab leaders when he labeled them "half men" for failing to support Hizbullah.

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Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84700

If that's the case, small wonder Saudi Arabia was displeased at his assassination.

...this fits very nicely into Lieberman's hawk talk! :yoiks:

The Saudis and everyone else but Iran are getting tired of the bigmouth liar Syrian leaders, aren't they?
:hi:


Last Updated: Thursday, 31 May 2007, 06:51 GMT 07:51 UK


UN approves Hariri murder court

Hariri's killing sparked protests that pressured Syria to leave Lebanon
The UN Security Council has approved the creation of an international court to try suspects in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The resolution was adopted by 10 votes to zero, with five abstentions from Russia, China, South Africa, Indonesia and Qatar.

The court's creation is the subject of intense political debate in Lebanon.

Mr Hariri and 22 others were killed in a massive car bomb in the capital, Beirut, on 14 February 2005.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6703587.stm