Saudi Arabia's Top Spy Chief Meets Russian President Putin To Offer A Deal For Moscow To Scale Back It's Support Of The Assad Regime In Syria

Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan (L) meets with Russian President Valdimir Putin on July 31, 2013. Press TV

Exclusive: Saudi Offers Russia Deal To Scale Back Assad Support - Sources -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has offered Russia economic incentives including a major arms deal and a pledge not to challenge Russian gas sales if Moscow scales back support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Middle East sources and Western diplomats said on Wednesday.

The proposed deal between two of the leading power brokers in Syria's devastating civil war was set out by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, they said.

Russia has supported Assad with arms and diplomatic cover throughout the war and any change in Moscow's stance would remove a major obstacle to action on Syria by the United Nations Security Council.

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More News On Saudi Arabia Offering A Deal To Russia For It To Scale Back It's Support Of The Assad Regime In Syria

Saudi intel chief in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Syria -- World Tribune
Saudi Arabia offers Russia economic incentives to end Syria support -- Press TV
Saudi Arabia Tries to Cut a Deal With Russia Regarding Syria -- Al-Monitor
Putin, Saudi intelligence talk regional issues -- Al Bawaba
Saudi spy meets Russia President Vladimir Putin: Kremlin -- Gulf News
A spy who tried to scale Kremlin wall -- M K Bhadrakumar, Asia Times
Russia Considers Saudi Angle in Syria -- Fyodor Lukyanov for Al-Monitor

My Comment: Apparently this meeting took place at Putin's home and on the initiative of Saudi Arabia. Much of the details of what was discussed are still secret, but I would hazard a bet that Saudi Arabia must have offered a lot to Russia for them to reconsider their support of the Assad regime in Syria. I do not expect Russia to accept this offer .... but the Russian delay in leaking the real purpose of this meeting tells me that Putin and his advisers took the offer seriously and pondered upon it for a few days.