Riyadh Jeddah Furniture Testing Post

RIYADH/JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's strong statement denouncing Syria's use of brutal force against peaceful demonstrators has won the hearts of Saudis and expatriates alike.

Top officials in Saudi Arabia including Shoura members, heads of Islamic organizations and academics lent their support Monday to the call made by the king to stop the bloodshed in Syria and initiate necessary reforms to ensure peace in the strife-torn country.

"Syrian President Bashar Assad has lost the legitimacy to rule," said Hamza Khoshain, a member of the Shoura Council, in Riyadh on Monday. "King Abdullah has sent a clear message to the Syrian regime by recalling the Saudi ambassador for consultations and by asking Damascus to rectify the situation as soon as possible."

He lent his strong support to the Kingdom's call for Syria to shun violence and said the situation was being aggravated in Syria because of some outside elements, which are playing nasty roles to destabilize the country."

"What is happening in Syria is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia," King Abdullah said in a written statement released Monday. "Syria should think wisely before it's too late ... and enact reforms that are not merely promises but actual reforms."

Saleh Al-Wohaibi, secretary-general of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), said "the WAMY was deeply concerned over the torture and the killings of innocent people in Syria." He said the Syrian regime had failed to ensure peace, security and good governance.