| November 2008 - News |
| November 2008 |
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Syria and Lebanon formally establish diplomatic relations Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mu’allem and his Lebanese counterpart Fawzi Salloukh signed an agreement on October 15, formalising the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries for the first time since they gained independence from France in the 1940s. The declaration came a day after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree confirming the decisions jointly made with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman during his visit to Damascus on August 14, instructing the Syrian Foreign Ministry to open an embassy in Beirut. A decree to establish a Lebanese embassy in Damascus was already issued in Lebanon on September 13. Mu’allem has said Damascus and Beirut will exchange ambassadors by the end of the year. Syrian MP Mohammad Habash told Syria Today that Damascus has been planning to establish diplomatic ties with Beirut since it was accused of assassinating former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005, an allegation Syria vehemently denies. “This is not a new decision,” Habash said. “Syria has wanted to establish diplomatic relations with Beirut since Lebanese critics began calling for it to do so after the Hariri assassination.” He added Assad’s decision to establish diplomatic ties with Beirut proves Syria has good intentions towards Lebanon. Since 1991, Syrian-Lebanese relations have been defined by a friendship and co-operation treaty covering political, economic and security issues. The two countries have never had diplomatic relations since they were first carved out of the former Ottoman Empire by the British and French in 1920. At the height of the Lebanese civil war in 1976, Syrian troops marched into Lebanon as a peacekeeping force at the government’s request – an event which marked the start of a 29-year military presence in the country. Following allegations it was behind the Hariri assassination, Damascus succumbed to international pressure and withdrew its troops from Lebanon. Since that time, Western countries, most notably the US, have accused Syria of continuing to interfere in Lebanese affairs. |