WSJ: Saudi King (apparently) to Pressure Syria Over Iran Alliance

Gone are the days when pressure meant military strikes, embargoes, sanctions and isolation. The new MO is visits, regained stature, intelligence coordination, removal of sanctions .... 

In the WSJ/ here

"Saudi King Abdullah al Saud is expected to make a rare visit to Syria this week to increase pressure on Syrian leader Bashar al Assad to loosen his alliance with Iran and strengthen Arab consensus on regional political and security issues, according to Saudi officials.

The summit would be the first trip to Damascus by the Saudi ruler since he took power in 2005. It culminates months of quiet diplomacy by the oil-rich Arab nation, U.S. and European officials who see Syria as a linchpin to curbing the influence of Iran and its proxies, such as militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas.

For their part, Syrian officials are trumpeting the king's visit as a reflection of Damascus's revived regional importance after years in the Arab political wilderness. It is a position they clearly relish. "We've overcome the period of tension, and this visit will be significant in helping achieve calm and stability in the region," said Suleiman Haddad, chairman of the Syrian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.

Saudi and Syrian officials say the two leaders will discuss the three-month-old deadlock in Lebanon over the formation of a new government, and stalemated reconciliation talks between the two main Palestinian political parties that U.S. officials say impedes the resumption of Mideast peace talks. The two Arab heavyweight nations support opposite sides in these power-sharing squabbles, and it is hoped that the growing rapprochement between the king and Mr. Assad will help to resolve the impasses....

However, as Saudi Arabia has seen its regional clout in Arab affairs sink in the face of growing Iranian influence in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, Riyadh has moved to re-engage with Damascus.....

The Saudi overtures to Mr. Assad have come in tandem with warming diplomatic ties between Syria and the West, namely France and the U.S. These three countries are hoping enhanced economic and security relations will lead to changes in Syria's regional policies.

Regional officials point to a meeting last week between Lebanon's prime-minister designate, Saudi ally Saad Hariri, and his political opponent Michel Aoun, who is close to Syria, (huh?) as evidence that cooperation between the two larger countries can yield a political breakthrough there.

The Saudi leadership, which frequently uses its enormous oil wealth to build alliances, expects the king's personal visit to underscore the benefits of Arab cooperation...."