Syria Appoints First Ever Ambassador to Lebanon
Syria has named Ali Abdel Karim Ali its first ambassador to Lebanon and President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday approved his appointment.
A presidential statement said Suleiman accepted Ali”s diplomatic accreditations.
Lebanon opened its first embassy in Syria last Monday, five months after the neighbors established diplomatic ties following decades of turbulent relations.
The Beirut-Damascus thaw came following a joint pledge by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Suleiman in Paris.
It marked a turning point in relations between the two neighboring countries. Syria has dominated Lebanon for nearly three decades before pulling out its troops in April 2005.
The withdrawal came two months after the assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri in a massive Beirut bombing widely blamed on Damascus. Syria has always denied the charge.