"Saudi Arabia accused Syria on Thursday of attempting to destabilize the region and spread chaos, in response to Syrian accusations that its role in the Middle East was waning.
A government spokesman in the Saudi capital Riyadh rejected the Syrian claims as "lies and fallacies" in a widely broadcast statement Thursday evening, signaling a new low in diplomatic ties already strained over Lebanon and Iraq.
In an unusually scathing statement, the conservative Muslim kingdom, which has been trying to bolster its regional role, was lashing out against criticism made by Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Shara earlier this week.
"They believe they can deceive the Arab and Muslim nation, but their actions are proof of their malicious intentions," the statement said.
Saudi Arabia is a close ally of the United States in the Middle East, and has just signed an arms deal with it for an estimated $20 billion of sophisticated weaponry. Syria, however, is accused by the U.S. of supporting terrorism and aiding the insurgency in Iraq.
The Saudi royal house accused Syrian Vice-President Farouq al-Sharaa of spreading "lies" about Saudi Arabia.
Al-Sharaa had said on Tuesday at a press conference in Damascus that Saudi Arabia was not playing an active role in regional politics. He also said that in its foreign policy, the Islamic kingdom was paralyzed - pointing to the failure of a Palestinian unity deal forged in the Saudi holy city of Mecca in February.
Al-Sharaa said the outline of the Mecca deal had already been hammered out in Damascus anyway, and hinted that its collapse showed either that Saudi Arabia was hamstrung or that the kingdom had lost the ear of its ally the U.S......"
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