Lebanon and Syria Work Towards Diplomatic Ties
With recent concerns in Lebanon of a Syrian invasion after violence ensued from Islamic fundamentalist groups, positive news came out of Lebanon today about Lebanese-Syrian relations. Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh will be visiting Syria soon to plan the future of their diplomatic relationship. Newspapers have predicted that Beirut and Damascus would exchange ambassadors by October. There is no date set or the visit yet, but there are reports that Syria “is proceeding with ‘constitutional and legal arrangements’” to establish a diplomatic relationship with Lebanon for the first time since their independence from French Mandate in 1943.
In light of recent concerns of a Syrian invasion, this news did come as a pleasant surprise. This shows that despite violence in the border region, governments are willing to work together diplomatically and create a strong relationship to better deal with these problems. This gives people faith that these two countries are looking beyond violence and invasion to solve their border problems.
Samantha Foley
