BEIRUT - Saudi ArabiaÂ’s King Abdullah held talks on LebanonÂ’s political crisis with a Hezbollah leader last week in his first such contact with the Iranian-backed Shia Muslim group, a Lebanese political source said on Wednesday. Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Kassem and a senior aide, Mohammed Fneish, flew to Jeddah on a private Saudi jet on Dec. 26 for the meeting with the monarch and his foreign minister, Prince Saud Al Faisal, the senior political source said.
The three-day visit was aimed at easing tension between the mainly Sunni Muslim kingdom and Hezbollah, which is leading an opposition campaign to bring down the Beirut government. ‘What came out of the meeting were signals of goodwill from both sides to improve ties, but no tangible results,’ the source said, adding that the two sides had discussed their differences and rising Sunni-Shia tension in Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia, like the United States, is a major backer of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and has been critical of Hezbollah since its guerrillas sparked a 34-day war with Israel after capturing two soldiers in a cross-border attack on July 12. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials.
BeirutÂ’s Al Akhbar newspaper, which reported the meeting, said the Saudis had invited Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah visit the kingdom for last weekÂ’s annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Nasrallah declined on security grounds.
| Too bad, could have 'gone for a drive in the desert'. |
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