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Thursday, October 6

MbS meets with Syrian government officials in Moscow

This is big news if it's true because Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud isn't any old Saudi prince; he's also the defense minister and arguably the most powerful man in Saudi Arabia next to his father, the king. And I don't think Suleimani would lie about such a meeting taking place.  [crossing her fingers] Hope springs eternal:

Saudi Crown Prince meets with Syrian Government in Moscow: Suleimani
By Leith Fadel 
October 6, 2016
AMN
DAMASCUS, SYRIA (10:20 A.M.) - Iran's prominent military commander, Major General Qassem Suleimani of the Al-Quds Force, stated on Wednesday that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman traveled to Moscow recently to meet with Syrian government officials.
The Iranian General did not go into specifics; however, if true, this will be the first meeting between Riyadh-Damascus in nearly a year.
Last year, members of the Saudi regime met with Syrian government officials in Damascus to discuss the possibility of rapprochement; but this inevitably ended with no diplomatic solution.
[END REPORT] 
Let's see if FARS has anything to add to that scrap of information Leith dug up. [taptaptap] Huh. Not a word. That must mean it's true. I doubt Tehran is doing handsprings about a Saudi-Syrian dialogue no matter how beneficial to Syria and Iranian/Lebanese troops in Syria.

Such a meeting would also line up with warming relations between Russia and the Saudis in the wake of JASTA. The Saudis are hopping mad about that vote in the U.S. Congress.  See Sputnik's October 2 report, US-Saudi Spat Over 9/11 Law Opens 'Window of Opportunities for Russia in Syria'

Somehow I don't think that any of this means the Saudis will immediately call off their dogs in Syria. But it must have occurred to them in the wake of the vote that the Americans have no intention of giving them Syria as a present if they manage to overthrow the government there.

We'll see how things went in Moscow. We should see very soon.

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