https://arab.news/gd58z
- Call followed talks between Al-Sharaa and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Damascus
- Al-Sharaa said he hoped Joseph Aoun鈥檚 presidency would usher in an era of stability in Lebanon
DAMASCUS: Syria鈥檚 de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa called newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on the phone and congratulated him for assuming the presidency, Syria鈥檚 ruling general command reported on Sunday.
The phone call followed talks between Al-Sharaa and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who was in the Syrian capital on Saturday with a mission to restore ties between the two neighbors.
Mikati鈥檚 visit was the first by a Lebanese head of government to Damascus since the Syrian civil war started in 2011.
Previous Lebanese governments refrained from visits to Syria amid tensions at home over militant group Hezbollah鈥檚 support for then ruler Bashar Assad during the conflict.
Syria鈥檚 new leader Al-Sharaa said he hoped to turn over a new leaf in relations, days after crisis-hit Lebanon finally elected a president this week following two years of deadlock.
鈥淭here will be long-term strategic relations between us and Lebanon. We and Lebanon have great shared interests,鈥� Sharaa said in a joint press conference with Mikati.
It was time to 鈥済ive the Syrian and Lebanese people a chance to build a positive relationship,鈥� he said, adding he hoped Joseph Aoun鈥檚 presidency would usher in an era of stability in Lebanon.
Sharaa said the new Syria would 鈥渟tay at equal distance from all鈥� in Lebanon, and 鈥渢ry to solve problems through negotiations and dialogue.鈥�
Mikati said ties should be based on 鈥渕utual respect, equality and national sovereignty.鈥�
Syria was the dominant power in Lebanon for three decades under the Assad family, with president Hafez Assad intervening in its 1975-1990 civil war and his son Bashar Assad only withdrawing Syria鈥檚 troops in 2005 following mass protests triggered by the assassination of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafic Hariri.
After mending ties with Damascus, his son Saad Hariri was the last Lebanese premier to visit the Syrian capital in 2010 before the civil war.
Taking office on Thursday, Aoun swore he would seize the 鈥渉istoric opportunity to start serious... dialogue with the Syrian state.鈥�
With Hezbollah weakened after two months of full-scale war with Israel late last year and Assad now gone, Syrian and Lebanese leaders seem eager to work to solve long-pending issues.
Among them is the presence of some two million Syrian refugees Lebanon says have sought shelter there since Syria鈥檚 war started.
Their return to Syria had become 鈥渁n urgent matter in the interest of both countries,鈥� Mikati said.
Lebanese authorities have long complained that hosting so many Syrians has become a burden for the tiny Mediterranean country which since 2019 has been wracked by its worst-ever economic crisis.
Mikati also said it was a priority 鈥渢o draw up the land and sea borders between Lebanon and Syria,鈥� calling for creation of a joint committee to discuss the matter.
Under Assad, Syria repeatedly refused to delimit its borders with its neighbor.
Lebanon has hoped to draw the maritime border so it can begin offshore gas extraction after reaching a similar agreement with Israel in 2022.
The Lebanese premier said both sides had stressed the need for 鈥渃omplete control of (land) borders, especially over illicit border points, to stem smuggling.鈥�
Syria shares a 330-kilometer (205-mile) border with Syria with no official demarcation at several points, making it porous and prone to smuggling.
Syria imposed new restrictions on the entry of Lebanese citizens last week, following what Lebanon鈥檚 army said was a border skirmish with unnamed armed Syrians.
Lebanese nationals had previously been allowed into Syria without a visa.
Several foreign dignitaries have headed to Damascus in recent weeks to meet the new leaders, with a delegation from Oman also in town earlier Saturday.
Unlike other Arab Gulf states, Oman never severed diplomatic ties with Assad during the war.
Italy鈥檚 Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited Damascus on Friday, while France鈥檚 Jean-Noel Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock did last week.
Shaibani has visited 萝莉视频, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan this month, and said Friday he would head to Europe soon.
Syria鈥檚 war has killed more than half a million people and ravaged the country鈥檚 economy since starting in 2011 with the brutal crackdown of anti-Assad protests.