Lebanese Interior Minister Scheduled to Visit Syria
In a move aimed at strengthening security relations between Syria and Lebanon, Lebanese officials, including interior minister Ziad Baroud and security chiefs Wafiq Jizzini and Ashraf Rifi, are scheduled to visit Syria on Monday. This will be the first such official visit by a Lebanese interior minister since the tense removal of Syrian troops in 2005, which followed accusations of Syria’s involvement in the assassination of Lebanon’s former premier Rafiq Hariri, and ended decades of Syrian military dominance in Lebanon. Baroud’s scheduled visit builds on recent moves towards the reestablishment of diplomatic ties and security cooperation with Syria. Less than three months ago, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman reached out to potential cooperation with Syria during a visit to Damascus, and soon followed with the commencement of formal diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Stefanie Demetriades
