Hariri”s Damascus Visit Not Before Cabinet Policy Statement
A sudden trip on Thursday by President Michel Suleiman to Damascus has injected more positivity into relations between Beirut and Damascus which was likely to be completed in an upcoming visit of Prime Minister Saad Hariri to the Syrian capital.
Arab diplomatic sources, cited by pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Friday, said Suleiman”s visit was also likely as a "prelude" to another visit by Hariri to Damascus after winning the confidence of the government.
The sources said Suleiman sought to soften the atmosphere between Syrian officials and Hariri and discussed an "appropriate" way of this situation.
Press reports said Hariri”s Damascus trip would most likely take place two or three days after the government gets a vote of confidence in Parliament.
Government sources, meanwhile, told daily As-Safir that a visit by Hariri to Damascus is "inevitable," but that it was unlikely to happen before Cabinet gets a confidence vote.
Meanwhile, An-Nahar newspaper said Hariri, who left on a private visit for Saudi Arabia late Thursday, would start –after winning a confidence vote — a tour of Arab countries and another global tour aimed at reactivating Paris-3 and garnering regional and international support for Lebanon to support its economy.
Syrian President Bashar Assad”s political and media advisor, Buthaina Shaaban, had said it was "too early to talk about practical steps regarding Hariri”s visit to Syria."