Mediterranean Union
Syria, Lebanon to open embassies
Syria and Lebanon have agreed to open embassies in each other's capitals, French leader Nicolas Sarkozy has said.
The announcement came after Mr Sarkozy held talks with Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman and then Syria's leader Bashar Assad in Paris.
Mr Assad's welcome in Paris marks his return to the world stage.
"I would like to say what a historic step forward it is for France that Syrian President Bashar Assad is determined to open a diplomatic representation in Lebanon, and that Lebanon should open a diplomatic representation in Syria," Mr Sarkozy announced after meeting both men.
He said the leaders had authorised him to make the announcement on their behalf.
Relations between Syria and Lebanon have been tense since the forced withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in mid-2005 after Mr Hariri's assassination.
But the two nations have not had diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level since they became independent in the 1940s.
Lets hope God//Allah enlightens both country leaders to reach peace between their nations and that the Midle East finally meets peace.
Only God Can Judge Me
الله فقط يمكنه محاكمتي
I am you and you are me, if you love i love, if you suffer i suffer
أنا أنت, و أنت أنا, إذا أحببت نفسك أحببت نفسي, إذا عانيتَ عانيتُ
By Joshua Mitnick Fri Sep 5, 4:00 AM ET
Tel Aviv - While the prospect of Israeli-Syrian peace has been given a boost by French President Nicholas Sarkozy's visit to Damascus, any face to face dialogue between the two longtime enemies is likely to wait until new administrations are in place in both Jerusalem and Washington.
Still, the profile of the indirect Israeli-Syrian peace talks received a major upgrade as Mr. Sarkozy offered to mediate a treaty that could shift the balance of power in the Middle East away from Iran and in favor of the US and its allies.
But even as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Thursday that he had sent a six-point peace proposal to Israel and awaited a response, officials in both countries and Middle East analysts concede that substantive progress from the indirect talks hosted by Turkey has been modest at best.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0905/p06s02-wome.html