Top diplomats from the Middle East and Europe arrived in the Saudi capital on Sunday to discuss Syria, as world powers push for stability after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s biggest economy, is seeking to increase its influence in Syria after Islamist-led rebels toppled Assad last month, analysts say.
The talks will include a meeting of Arab officials as well as a broader gathering also including Turkey, France, the European Union and the United Nations, a Saudi official told AFP.
Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the main rebel group in the alliance that overthrew Assad, is pushing for sanctions relief. His administration is represented at the Riyadh talks by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
Western powers, including the United States and the European Union, imposed sanctions on Assad’s government over his brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011, which triggered civil war.
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