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.  Enditem