Suleiman Visit Bolsters Syrian-Lebanese Relations

The Syrian press lauded Lebanese president Michel Suleiman’s first visit as Lebanon’s head of state to Syria this week.



The government-run Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA, reported on August 14 that Suleiman and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad tackled a host of issues, including setting border demarcations which are seen as a pivotal step by Syria in complying with the international community’s demands that Damascus recognise Lebanon’s autonomy. Suleiman and Assad also agreed to exchange ambassadors, boost trade ties and work on the cases of missing Lebanese and Syrians.



Ahead of Suleiman’s arrival, the pro-government newspaper Al-Watan on August 13 called his visit “historic” and expected that it would mark a new period of Syrian-Lebanese relations. The newspaper predicted Suleiman’s visit would successfully resolve problems between Syria and Lebanon and that the countries’ relations would improve.



Al-Watan asserted that despite recent troubles between the two countries, Lebanese-Syrian relations will prove stronger than any of their problems.



In a separate article published on August 13, Al-Watan accused anti-Syrian groups of insulting the resistance, a reference to criticism of Hezbollah, which is loyal to Damascus and leads the Lebanese opposition.