Riyadh: Syrian President Bashar Al Assad pledged to work with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to promote a reconciliation between the Palestinian movements Hamas and US-backed Fatah.
The two leaders, who met outside the Saudi capital, Riyadh, discussed the Palestinian issue and efforts to "strengthen ties of brotherhood and resolve Arab issues without outside interference," the official Saudi Press Agency said. They stressed the "urgent need for ending the Palestinian division," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
King Abdullah visited Syria in October after hosting Al Assad in March at a meeting of four Arab states aimed at persuading Syria to distance itself from its ally Iran. Both Syria and Iran, Saudi Arabia's main rival in the region have close ties to Hamas.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' secular Fatah movement is backed by the US and its allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Hamas's Damascus-based leader Khalid Meshaal held talks earlier this month in Riyadh with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal to discuss an Egyptian-brokered plan aimed at reconciling the two Palestinian parties.
