Assad Ready to Visit Beirut at the Appropriate Time but Awaits an Invitation
Syrian President Bashar Assad has said he was ready to visit Beirut at the appropriate time but after receiving an official invitation from Lebanese authorities.
"I visited Lebanon in 2002 when I was president. It is natural for another visit to Lebanon to take place. This is not unusual," Assad said at a joint press conference with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday.
"I am interested in visiting Lebanon at the appropriate time," the Syrian president said in response to a question. "I haven”t received an invitation and (additional) steps should be taken by both countries."
"The Lebanese government is new and most probably has internal priorities before thinking about its foreign relations," Assad told reporters.
He described Prime Minister Saad Hariri”s visit to Damascus as "successful."
Assad also accused Israel of being responsible for the deadlocked peace talks and called for renewed Turkish mediation between his country and Israel.
"Israel is the main cause for the deadlock in peace. The Israelis want negotiations devoid of principles, that is to say endless talks," he said.
He said Turkish mediation between Syria and Israel last year had been "honest, fair and objective," adding: "We now want this mediation more than ever."
Erdogan, meanwhile, hailed Turkey”s fast expanding relations with Syria as model for its ties with other Arab countries.
"We are in the process of building with Syria a sound structure for the Middle East — we need to create a foundation for peace in the region," Erdogan said in a speech to the two countries” businessmen broadcast by Syrian state television.
Erdogan said Turkey was working on expanding its relations with other Arab states, including Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.
He said he hoped bilateral trade between Turkey and Syria would rise from two billion dollars a year now to five billion dollars over the next three to four years.