Saudi Arabia's Diplomacy

ONE CONSEQUENCE of the Bush administration's recent decision to divide the Middle East between "extremists" and "moderates" was to marginalize U.S. diplomacy in the region. The administration refuses to talk to the "extremists" -- Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas -- but those governments and groups are at the center of every major conflict from Iraq to the Gaza Strip. Now one of the administration's "moderate" allies, Saudi Arabia, has stepped into the vacuum. The result has been a revealing demonstration of how talks with adversaries can sometimes be useful -- and a hint of what may be lost by Mr. Bush's inflexible policy.

In Riyadh yesterday, Saudi King Abdullah was hosting potentially groundbreaking negotiations between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and senior leaders of Hamas. While Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been preparing to have her own talks next week with Mr. Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the intra-Palestinian discussions are considerably more important: They could determine whether a Palestinian administration emerges that is both willing and able to settle with Israel, or whether recent Palestinian factional fighting escalates. Significantly, the Hamas representatives in Riyadh include Khaled Meshal, a militant leader based in Damascus who has blocked previous moves toward a Palestinian accord. Saudi relations with Mr. Meshal's sponsor, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, may be warming; Mr. Assad will soon be in Riyadh for a Saudi-hosted summit of the Arab League.