My Visit to Damascus Not Related to Visit of Any Other Official
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Wednesday stressed that in contrary to "some who were persistent in visiting Damascus for long years", he did not visit Damascus to target anyone or to discuss tight interests, but "to discuss what is in the interest of the two countries."
Aoun was being interviewed over the phone by Al Manar TV network. In another phone call with his party”s OTV network, he expressed his deep relief over the conducted visit.
FPM leader told OTV that he had been already planning to make his visit, but the "generous invitation" of President Bashar Assad preceded his plans. He added that Wednesday”s visit coincided with the anniversary of his first "historic" visit to Damascus.
Aoun added that he went to Damascus in order to demonstrate the events of one full year, and to discuss the external challenges facing both Lebanon and Syria "especially after the latest Israeli threats."
He also said that his visit aimed to express welcoming and relief over the track of inter-Arab reconciliations, "a track parallel to that initiated in Beirut."
Answering a question on whether his visit was related to any other visits, Aoun denied the relation between his visit to Damascus and the timing of the visit of any other Lebanese or non-Lebanese official.
"PM Saad Hariri”s visit to Syria has become a declared thing, and is being prepared by those directly concerned with the subject," added Aoun.
Earlier, Syrian President Bashar Assad saluted "the national role played by Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun in the Lebanese political scene" after a summit that gathered them at the People”s palace on Wednesday, Syria”s state-run news agency, SANA, reported.
SANA added that Assad "expressed admiration during the meeting for the national role played by General Aoun in the Lebanese political scene which favors the interest of Lebanon before anything else."
According to the Syrian agency, Assad also hailed Aoun”s "struggle to fortify national unity and his continuous support for establishing good and firm relations between the two brotherly countries."
On his part, Aoun expressed his "deep admiration for the stances of the Syrian president toward Lebanon and his support for all of what the Lebanese agree on, as well as for the Syrian leadership”s keenness on anything that preserves the unity, independence, and sovereignty of Lebanon."
The summit discussed the positive atmospheres currently dominating in Lebanon, especially the formation of the national unity government and the developing Syrian-Lebanese relations, according to SANA.
The two leaders also discussed the latest regional and international developments and the importance of coordination among the neighboring countries of the region in order to safeguard the Arab rights.
After the meeting, the Syrian president hosted lunch in honor of Aoun, the Syrian news agency said.
LBC TV network reported that the Syrian president had sent a private jet to take Aoun to Damascus, accompanied by former minister Michel Samaha and a delegation from FPM.
Aoun returned to Beirut shortly after his trip to Damascus that lasted only a few hours.
Aoun traveled to Syria in December last year. During his visit to Damascus exactly a year ago, the MP predicted a bright future for ties between Lebanon and Syria.