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DAMASCUS - The visit of Saudi King Abdullah to Syria, his first since assuming the throne in 2005, is being hailed as groundbreaking and historic by Middle East observers.

Abdullah, who is married into a Syrian family, visited Damascus countless times for decades, in private and for work, when serving as crown prince under his brother, King Fahd. He attended president Hafez al-Assad's funeral in June 2000, and was the first Arab leader to visit Syria after President Bashar al-Assad came to power in July that summer.