RIYADH, 4 March 2005 — Syrian President Bashar Assad flew into Riyadh yesterday and held talks with Crown Prince Abdullah. The two leaders held “constructive and fruitful” discussions on developments at the Arab, Islamic and international level as well as the prospects for strengthening bilateral relations, a statement by the Saudi Press Agency said.

The president was accompanied by Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara.

Bashar’s visit came amid mounting calls on Syria to pull its 14,000 troops and undetermined number of intelligence agents from Lebanon.

Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal flew to the Abdullah-Bashar meeting straight from talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. “President Mubarak and Prince Saud examined the possibility of a compromise between Security Council Resolution 1559 and the Taif Accord in order to solve the Syrian-Lebanese crisis,” said Egyptian presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad.

The Taif Accord committed Syria to moving its troops to eastern Lebanon within two years and to agreeing with Lebanon on how long any Syrian forces should remain thereafter.

Damascus says the Taif Accord commands a consensus among the Lebanese, while the UN resolution divides them by failing to recognize what Syria views as its special relations with Lebanon and by demanding that anti-Israel Hezbollah disarm.

At a meeting in Cairo, Arab leaders publicly urged Syria to follow through on the Taif Accord even as they negotiated behind the scenes to push Syria to move quickly.

Syria has said it would comply with the accord. But an Arab diplomat involved in efforts to resolve the crisis said the Syrians told Arab leaders earlier this week that they want a new, broader arrangement — including resuming peace talks with Israel — as part of any troop withdrawal from Lebanon.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Syria still wants to keep about 3,000 troops in Lebanon “for the time being” — without giving a timetable — and to keep “early monitoring stations” in eastern Lebanon.

The Syrian Army already operates radar stations in Dahr El-Baidar. Israeli warplanes have attacked the sites in the past.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt consider such Syrian terms unworkable, the Arab diplomat said, adding: “The Syrians are looking for a broader political deal, and nobody is sure that anyone can deliver.”

The diplomat’s remarks came on the sidelines of an Arab League foreign ministers meeting ahead of an Arab summit beginning March 23.

“We have to contain, with all our capabilities, the existing big problems and to shift the current situation into a safer position,” Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said. “No doubt the Taif agreement has its own role in solving the problem at this stage.”

Mauritanian Foreign Minister Mohamed Vall Ould Bellal called on Syria to implement the Taif Accord “according to a sensible timetable.”

International pressure has been piling on Damascus to end its military and political grip on its smaller neighbor since the Feb. 14 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a massive bomb blast in Beirut. The opposition in Lebanon blamed Hariri’s assassination on Syria and the Syrian-backed government in Beirut. Both governments deny any role.

The protests continued until the Lebanese government resigned. Far fewer people have kept up the peaceful “independence uprising” in the past few days, shifting attention to political maneuvering.

Arab ministers downplayed any lasting effect the turmoil might have. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Kerbi expressed sorrow to Lebanese over Hariri’s death and hope that “our brothers in Lebanon will overcome this predicament and unify their ranks.”

— Additional input from agencies