Syrian President Bashar Assad and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman agreed on Wednesday to establish full diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level, a Syrian official said. The two countries announced last month that they intended to open diplomatic relations for the first time. Wednesday's agreement formally set those ties on the highest level. "The two presidents... have instructed their foreign ministers to take the necessary steps in this regard, starting from today," Buthaina Shaaban, an adviser to President Assad said.
Suleiman met Syrian President Assad in Damascus on Wednesday in a visit to improve bilateral ties that have thawed since the recent end of a political crisis in Lebanon. It was Suleiman's first visit to Syria since his election in May as part of a Qatari-mediated deal that defused a bitter political conflict between an anti-Syrian majority coalition and an alliance of groups backed by Damascus. It was also the first time a Lebanese leader has visited Damascus in over three years.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told Lebanon's as-Safir newspaper that Suleiman's visit was "a starting point and a true foundation for future relations."
Suleiman, who had been army chief before his election, was received at a hilltop palace overlooking Damascus. He was appointed head of Lebanon's military when Syria still controlled the country and describes his ties with Damascus as excellent.
Syria's opponents in Lebanon, including Saudi-backed politician Saad al-Hariri, have accused Damascus of assassinating Rafik al-Hariri and other anti-Syrian figures and fomenting instability since its withdrawal. Syria denies the allegations.