Lebanon president in historic trip to Syria
Lebanese President Michel Sleiman heads on Wednesday for a groundbreaking visit to Damascus carrying an agenda loaded with thorny issues, including the establishment of diplomatic ties.
The two-day visit is the first by a Lebanese head of state since a 2005 Syrian troop pullout from Lebanon in the aftermath of the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.
The summit between Sleiman and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad aims to redefine ties between Beirut and Damascus, which dominated Lebanon for three decades until it withdrew its forces.
The agenda features prickly issues such as a border demarcation, a review of longstanding accords, Lebanese detainees in Syria and the presence of radical pro-Syrian Palestinian groups in Lebanon, diplomatic sources said.
According to a Lebanese official in Beirut, the establishment of diplomatic relations and opening of embassies will top the agenda.
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