Praise Report

In a dramatic diplomatic turnaround on Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman agreed to establish full diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level, a Syrian official said. Ever since the two nation states were established after the break-up of the Ottoman Empire some 90 years ago, Syria has refused to recognize Lebanon’s independence, considering the country instead to be the 19th province of Syria. But the two countries announced last month that they intended to open diplomatic relations for the first time. Wednesday's agreement formally set those ties on the highest level. Suleiman met Syrian President Assad in Damascus today in a visit to improve bilateral ties that have thawed since the recent end of a political crisis in Lebanon. Recent developments, however, indicate that Syria is seeking to reassert its traditional dominance over its smaller Arab neighbor.