Syria, Lebanon leaders meet in bid to end 5-year feud

[Chris]

Syria, Lebanon leaders meet in bid to end 5-year feud
By Reuters

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri met Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Saturday for talks to end nearly five years of animosity between Damascus and a broad political alliance led by Hariri. Assad warmly welcomed the prime minister at the entrance of the presidential palace in Damascus after Hariri, a billionaire businessman, flew in to the Syrian capital on his private jet.

"I can say that the dialogue was constructive and the atmosphere was cordial," Buthaina Shaaban, an Assad aide, told reporters after a first round of talks that lasted three hours. She said the meeting had broken the ice between the two leaders who discussed all issues in a "frank, transparent and cordial climate". Syria's official SANA news agency said the two leaders discussed how to turn the page on recent turmoil in bilateral relations. It quoted Hariri as saying he was looking for "real and strategic ties with Syria".

more.............Syria, Lebanon leaders meet in bid to end 5-year feud - Haaretz - Israel News

[Chris]

Hariri: Talks with Assad were excellent and frank
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri wound up Sunday a landmark visit to Damascus and talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad to open a new phase to improve ties between the two countries based on openness and transparency. Hariri, who has blamed Syria for the assassination of his father in 2005, said he hoped that strategic ties with Syria could help boost joint interests. "I saw all positive signals from President Assad in all issues and we agreed on opening a new phase in our relations," Hariri told a press conference at the Lebanese embassy in Damascus.

"The talks were excellent and frank," he said. "It all depends on the future....We want to build a future that serves the interests of the two countries," Hariri said. "President Assad stressed during our talks that the relations between Syria and Lebanon should be based on transparency and honesty," he added.

more...........Hariri: Talks with Assad were excellent and frank - Haaretz - Israel News

[micah719]

I'm reminded that Pilate and Herod became good friends......

[Chris]

Big victory for Assad
Lebanese PM’s trip to Damascus marks capitulation on Hariri’s part
Roee Nahmias Published: 12.20.09, 18:07 / Israel Opinion

Did Assad win or did al-Hariri capitulate? Arab media outlets will be scrutinizing the fine details of the Lebanese prime minister’s trip to Syria Saturday, yet one thing can be concluded at this time already: Saad al-Hariri’s meeting with Bashar Assad constitutes one of the greatest achievements for the Syrian president’s policy, as well as surrender – even if polite and surrounded by pomp and circumstances – by the head of Lebanon’s anti-Syrian camp. Ever since Bashar succeeded his father, Assad junior kept on getting entangled. Security Council Resolution 1559 from September 2004 that urged him to pull his troops out of Lebanon, and the assassination of former Lebanese PM Rafik al-Hariri in February 2005 merely served to boost the international pressure for a Syrian pullout from Lebanon after 30 years. By withdrawing, Assad lost one of the most significant assets left by his father.

Meanwhile, Assad Junior maintained an “open border” policy that allowed terrorists to go from Syria to Iraq. He also nurtured his strategic alliance with Iran, assisted Hezbollah, and endorsed the terror group headquarters in Damascus. This outraged the US Administration, which imposed harsh sanctions on Syria. The Hariri assassination marked Assad as the immediate suspect, and prompted his entanglement vis-à-vis former French President Jacque Chirac, a personal friend of al-Hariri, thus leading to even greater Syrian isolation. However, Assad refused to give Lebanon up. He continued to interfere in its affairs, backed Iran and Hezbollah, did not go out of his way to cooperate with the US, and did not even comply with the minor demands presented by the European Union. Yet now, a year after the changing of the guard at the White House, Damascus is already reaping the fruit of its actions.

more..............Big victory for Assad - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews

[Chris]

I think this is a bad move on Hariri's part but he may not have had a choice. I'm not real familiar with the current situation on the ground in Lebanon but there are reports that Hezbollah has become the main military power in Lebanon. Hariri might not have had a choice but to go if Assad (and Iran) is behind the Hezbollah group. We may be seeing as the article mentioned a "surrender" of Lebanon to Syria. This will just make things easier for the Gog/Magog allies to make their way down into the mountains of Israel for the date with destiny.