Aoun Pays Sudden Visit to Damascus, Meets President Assad

Almanar
Readers Number : 144

09/12/2009 Suddenly, and without prior notice, the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun paid on Wednesday a visit to the Syrian capital Damascus where he held talks with Syrian President Bachar Assad.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Aoun met with Assad at the People's palace and discussed with him the latest developments in Lebanon, mainly the formation of the national-unity government and the development of the Lebanese-Syrian relations.

The meeting, attended by former minister Michel Samaha and the Free Patriotic Movement coordinator Pierre Raffoul, stressed the necessity of building strong and special relations between the people of Lebanon and Syria.

The Syrian President praised during the meeting the national role played by Aoun in Lebanon, saying that the General has put the Lebanese interest before everything else.

For his part, Aoun appreciated the stances of the Syrian President towards Lebanon and his support to everything the Lebanese agree on.

The meeting also discussed the latest developments at the Arab and international levels as well as the importance of coordination at the regional levels in order to achieve Arab solidarity and get the international support for the rights of the Palestinian people and end the Israeli crimes.

Aoun returned to Beirut following his trip that lasted only a few hours.

SHAABAN: NO SPECIFIC DATE FOR HARIRI'S VISIT TO SYRIA

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar Assad's political and media advisor Buthaina Shaaban said that "the date for the visit of Lebanese PM Saad Hariri to Syria has not been set yet."

In a chat with reporters Wednesday, Shaaban said that the meeting that joined Assad with Aoun in Damascus had discussed regional situations and how to activate the roles of Lebanon and Syria in the region. "Aoun worked in favor of forming the Lebanese government," Shaaban said.

Shaaban stressed that "the security of Syria and its stability stem from Lebanon's security and stability", and added that "the judicial warrants issued from Damascus against Lebanese officials were due to a personal lawsuit filed by Major General Jamil Sayyed, and the Syrian authorities have nothing to do with that."