Syria-Saudi ties not Washington's business

Damascus: Syria warned the US Thursday against interfering in Friday's joint Saudi-Syrian visit to Lebanon aimed at easing tensions ahead of a move by the UN tribunal to indict members of Hezbollah in the murder of former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafik Hariri.

A Syrian foreign ministry statement said the United States "has no right to define our ties with the countries of the region and interfere in the content of the talks the Saudi monarch will have in Damascus".

King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia was in Damascus Thursday meeting with Al Assad ahead of Friday's visit to Beirut.

It will be the first time Al Assad visits Lebanon since the assassination of Hariri in 2005. The aftermath of the assassination led to a rapid deterioration of ties between Syria and Saudi Arabia. However, King Abdullah has led a concerted effort to mend regional rifts, since the Arab Economic Summit held in Kuwait in 2009.

Friday's visit indicates that the region would be united behind Lebanon to ensure it does not slip back into domestic turmoil.