Muallem: Beirut Visit Beginning of New Era in Ties with Lebanon
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said his visit to Beirut on Monday is the beginning of a new era in ties with Lebanon.
"We hope that together we will be able to surpass this phase toward a new horizon of brotherly cooperation between Syria and Lebanon," Muallem said in remarks published by the daily As Safir on Monday.
Muallem stressed that Lebanon and Syria are capable of "developing a balanced relationship in all areas and establish relations on solid grounds."
He said the exchange of visits between the two countries will mark the beginning of a "comprehensive assessment of the past."
Muallem is to visit Beirut on Monday, a week after Lebanon and Syria agreed to establish diplomatic relations for the first time.
He is to deliver an invitation to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman from his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to visit Damascus, a trip the Lebanese press said would take place within a week or 10 days.
Lebanon and Syria said last weekend that they had agreed to establish diplomatic relations, opening embassies in both capitals for the first time since their independence from French colonial rule more than 60 years ago.
"It is expected that the question of diplomatic relations will be raised during the visit. We hope it will mark a new step in Syrian-Lebanese ties," said Syria”s Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the government.
It said that during his visit Muallem would discuss "ways of improving relations given the favorable circumstances with the election of a consensus president in Lebanon and the formation of a national unity government."
Syria, the former powerbroker in Lebanon, withdrew its troops in 2005 in the aftermath of the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri, ending a military presence of nearly three decades.
Anti-Syrian majority MP Akram Shehayeb called on the Lebanese parliament to abolish a 1991 "friendship and cooperation" treaty which effectively formalized Syrian power in Lebanon, saying it had "weakened" the country.
Fellow anti-Syrian MP Mosbah al-Ahdab called for borders to be clearly established and that a resolution be found to the issue of weapons held in Lebanon”s 12 Palestinian refugee camps, which he said could only be achieved with the help of the Syrian intelligence services.
"We hope that Damascus cooperates in a serious and positive manner to bring a resolution to the issue of Lebanese prisoners held in Syria and those who went missing while Lebanon was under (Syrian) control," he added.
Hundreds of Lebanese vanished during Syria”s domination of Lebanon and Lebanese rights groups claim they are being detained by Damascus.
Suleiman was elected president and a new government formed under a May deal between the anti-Syrian ruling majority and the Damascus-backed opposition to end a drawn-out political crisis that had boiled over into deadly violence and pushed Lebanon to the brink of a new civil war.
The plans to establish ties were announced at a summit in France to launch a Mediterranean Union which was attended by Assad, marking his return to the international stage after several years of diplomatic isolation over the Hariri assassination.
Syria denies it was behind the Beirut bomb blast that killed Hariri and has protested at plans for a U.N. tribunal to try suspects in the murder.
Franco-Syrian ties went into deep freeze after the assassination of Hariri, who was a personal friend of French President Nicolas Sarkozy”s predecessor Jacques Chirac.
In a further sign of improving ties, Sarkozy announced he would visit Damascus in September.