Syria Today | Suleiman makes landmark visit to Damascus

Suleiman makes landmark visit to Damascus

Lebanese president Michel Suleiman arrived in Damascus on August 13 to hold talks with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in a landmark visit which concluded with the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The two-day talks focused on strengthening Syrian-Lebanese relations and the demarcation of their borders. The trip also saw both presidents issue a declaration pledging to re-establish diplomatic relations between Damascus and Beirut at the ambassadorial level. Syria and Lebanon have not had diplomatic ties since independence from French colonial power 60 years ago.

Both sides also agreed to work together to combat illegal smuggling activities and to establish a joint committee to investigate the fate of hundreds of people missing since the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war. In addition, they emphasised the need for a “just and comprehensive peace” in the region, calling for Israel to stop violating Lebanon’s sovereignty and to withdraw from the Golan Heights, which has been occupied since 1967.

Syrian foreign minister Walid al- Mu’allem and his Lebanese counterpart Fawzi Salloukh described the talks as “very constructive and fruitful, establishing the basis for future relations between the two brotherly countries”, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported on August 14.

Suleiman is the first Lebanese president to visit Damascus since Syria was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in April 2005, ending almost 30 years of military domination. The pullout came after Syria was accused of assassinating former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005, an allegation Damascus vehemently denies.

During a cabinet meeting of the Lebanese parliament in Beirut on August 16, Suleiman said: “The Damascus summit is not a passing moment, but it is a long track for building relations between the two countries,” SANA reported.