Syrian interim leader in Riyadh for 1st foreign visit

RIYADH — In his first foreign trip, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Saudi Arabia on Sunday, discussing his country's reconstruction and bilateral relations with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.

During the meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, the two sides addressed the latest developments in Syria and explored strategies to enhance security and stability in the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

They also identified opportunities for bilateral cooperation across various sectors, while discussing regional developments and the efforts needed to address them.

The Saudi crown prince congratulated Sharaa on assuming the presidency of Syria and wished him success in fulfilling the aspirations of the Syrian people.

For his part, Sharaa expressed his gratitude to the crown prince for his good wishes and the kingdom's supportive stance toward Syria and its people.

"We held a long meeting, in which I had sensed and heard a genuine desire to support Syria in building its future, and keenness to support the will of the Syrian people and the unity and integrity of its territories," Sharaa was quoted as saying by Syrian Arab News Agency.

"We discussed comprehensive plans for the future in the fields of energy, technology, education and health, with the aim of achieving a real partnership that will contribute to preserving peace and stability in the region and improving the economic reality in Syria, in addition to continuing political and diplomatic cooperation to boost Syria's role toward Arab and international positions and issues," he said.

Syria's Military Operations Administration announced on Jan 29 the appointment of Sharaa as president of Syria during the transitional period, granting him authority to establish an interim legislative council until a permanent constitution is ratified.

Also attending the meeting were Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Syrian interim Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, among others.

Sharaa is scheduled to visit Ankara on Tuesday at the invitation of Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Presidency said on Monday.

Car bomb kills 19

In another development, a car bomb exploded in a northern Syrian city on Monday, killing at least 19 people, all but one of whom were women, hospital workers said.

The car detonated next to a vehicle carrying mostly female agricultural workers on the outskirts of Manbij.

The dead included 18 women and one man, a nurse at the hospital, Mohammad Ahmad, told The Associated Press. Another 15 women were wounded, according to the local civil defense.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion.

It was the seventh car bomb explosion in Manbij in just over a month, said Munir Mustafa, deputy director of the civil defense.

He warned that the continuing attacks in Aleppo Province near Syria's second-largest city would halt Syria's progress in bringing about post-conflict security and economic recovery.

Mike Gu in Hong Kong contributed to this story.

Agencies - Xinhua