[Al Arabiya Latest] Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is ready to turn a page on the past by meeting Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, Hezbollah, which is mediating between the former arch-foes, said late on Monday.The Lebanese Shiite group's leader Hassan Nasrallah "has advised Jumblatt that given recent developments, the Syrian authorities will forget the past and open a new page," it said in a statement.
"President Assad will receive him in Damascus during a visit on a date to be announced in the coming days," Hezbollah added.
Definitely pass on the sushi, Wally ...
The announcement came two days after the Druze leader admitted he had made "inappropriate and unreasonable remarks about President Assad at a time of internal tensions and extreme division within Lebanon."
On February 14, 2007, the second anniversary of the murder of Lebanon's premier Rafiq Hariri, Jumblatt had branded Assad "the dictator of Damascus... a savage... an Israeli product, a liar... and a criminal."
A reconciliation between Jumblatt and Damascus could boost Syria's role in Lebanese politics years after its troops were forced out of the country. It will also probably weaken the Western-backed coalition that Jumblatt once helped lead until he split with them in August.
Nasrallah has been mediating between the Syrians and Jumblatt for several months.
The Hezbollah statement said the Syrian decision came after Jumblatt's "clear stance and courageous review" of his comments.
After the Hezbollah announcement, Jumblatt told Syria's al-Watan newspaper, which is privately owned but guided by government policy, "the old page has been turned forever."
Jumblatt, 60, was the main force behind the creation of a Western-backed alliance that led massive street protests to demand the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon following the Feb. 14, 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination. Many Lebanese blamed Syria for his death, a claim Damascus denies.
The Syrians pulled their army out of Lebanon in April 2005 ending nearly three decades of domination of their smaller neighbor.
Asked when he expects to visit Damascus, Jumblatt told al-Watan that "there is no specific date yet but I am waiting to go to Syria because I have a lot to say to President Assad."
"The most important thing is to forget the past and open a new page," he said.