Saudi prince opens talks with Syria's Bashar Assad

DAMASCUS, Syria (Reuters) -- Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah opened talks on Tuesday with new Syrian President Bashar Assad on bilateral cooperation and the stalled Middle East peace process, officials and diplomats said.

They said Abdullah, the first Arab leader to visit Damascus since Assad took the oath as president on Monday, congratulated the new Syrian leader and wished him success in his assignment.

Officials said Assad came to the airport personally to welcome the Saudi prince, who increasingly has been running the oil-rich kingdom's day-to-day affairs since his brother King Fahd suffered a stroke in 1995.

Saudi Arabia, a key regional power with close ties to the United States, has been playing a major mediation role to push forward stalled Syrian-Israeli peace talks. Those talks broke off in early January.

Assad, 34, succeeded his father, Hafez Assad, who died last month. Bashar Assad renewed his commitment to make peace with Israel in his inaugural speech, but said Israel should withdraw from every inch of the Golan Heights, captured in the 1967 war.

Saudi Arabia was among the first gulf Arab states to welcome the results of a referendum that paved the way for Assad's presidency.

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