Assad extends invitation to Aoun, may announce from Baabda exchange of Ambassadors
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly decided to postpone an official visit to Lebanon that was scheduled for mid-June until the end of his Arab tour.
The daily As Safir said Tuesday Assad”s visit will be a turning point in the history of Lebanese-Syrian relations where the Syrian president is expected to announce from the Presidential Palace in Baabda normalization of relations between the two neighboring countries, including the exchange of ambassadors.
Citing well-informed Lebanese sources, the daily said Damascus, which had sent an invitation to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to visit Syria, has decided to convey similar invitations to a number of Lebanese leaders.
The sources said Aoun accepted the invitation and promised to visit Damascus once Assad ends his Lebanon trip.
Assad, who arrived in Abu Dhabi Sunday, is due to visit Kuwait on Tuesday.
He also visited Dubai, where he met with the emirate”s ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum, who is also UAE vice president and prime minister.
The two leaders discussed "the peace process in the Middle East" and the situation in the Arab world, WAM said. They hailed the recent Lebanese reconciliation accord and the launch of a peace process in Lebanon.