Baby Assad seems to be looking for comfort somewhere, anywhere:
RIYADH, March 3 (Xinhuanet) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived here Thursday and held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdel Aziz on the Lebanon issue.
Accompanied by Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara, Assad ran into a closed-door meeting with Prince Abdullah shortly after arrival.
Damascus has been under mounting international pressure to pull out its troops from Lebanon after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Feb. 14.
The Lebanese opposition groups blamed Syrian and pro-Syria Lebanese authorities for the death of Hariri and urged Syrian forces to leave.
To ease the tensions, Damascus is actively engaged in a flurry of coordinations with its Arab brotherly states, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Best bet is, Assad will be effectively shut out. Arab dictators look at a guy who can’t hold on even to tiny Lebanon, and don’t want to be associated with him. He’s toxic.
UPDATE: Looks like Assad didn’t get much of a shoulder to cry on from the Crown Prince:
Saudi officials told Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday that he must soon begin fully withdrawing troops from Lebanon or face strains in Saudi-Syrian ties, a Saudi official said.
Question is, will Assad stay in power, retire to France, or take the 9mm retirement plan so generously offered to so many failed autocrats?
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