Syria, Lebanon look to future.

Byline: Arab News

LEBANON and Syria made history this week when President Michel Suleiman went calling on his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad. Beirut and Damascus are only 52 miles away from each other. But that it has taken the leaders of the two neighbors an era to travel this short distance speaks volumes for the uneasy nature of their relationship. And even as President Bashar was rolling out the red carpet to welcome President Suleiman in Damascus on Wednesday, another bomb went off in Lebanon. The attack in Tripoli killed 18 people, most of them soldiers. In the past, such attacks would be promptly blamed on Syria.

Thankfully, this terror attack failed to eclipse Suleiman's visit and shake the neighbors' resolve to bury their troubled past and start afresh.

Given their recent unpleasant history and strained ties, especially after the Syrian pullout and the accusation of Syrian involvement in the assassination of popular former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, achieving something akin to normal relations would have been nothing short of a miracle. Which is why the neighbors' decision to establish full diplomatic ties and open embassies in Damascus and Beirut should be seen as a leap forward. A section in Lebanon has always suspected that Syria does not recognize the Mediterranean country as a sovereign and independent state. The fact that the two countries haven't had formal diplomatic relations despite their geopolitical proximity has only helped strengthen this suspicion.

Apart from agreeing on exchanging diplomatic missions, the neighbors have also decided to formally demarcate their border. The second part of the agenda is critically significant from the Lebanese point of view. The Syrian-Lebanese border hasn't been clearly defined since the two countries won independence from the French in the 1940s.

The two-point accord is thus a huge political and personal victory for President Suleiman who only recently took over the country's reins and at a critical point in its history. The accord represents the first and formal recognition of Lebanon's sovereignty and independence by Syria.

Of course, the deal will not bury all the bitterness of the past. But it will help begin a new chapter of healthy relations between the two states as equals. It will create the necessary structure for peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues. It also goes to underscore the Syrian regime's unequivocal support for the new order in Lebanon that was created following the historic Doha Accord. If it has been a win-win deal for Lebanon, the accord has also come as a timely opportunity for Syria's leaders to renew their relations with the rest of the Arab world and the West. Syria after all belongs in the Arab world.

In the end, the real winner of Syria-Lebanon engagement is peace. And this is a victory for the peace-loving people of the Middle East. It is thanks to their irrepressible desire for peace that all attempts to divide Lebanon and Syria and sabotage their historical ties have failed. The neighbors must build on this bonhomie for a more promising and peaceful future for their people. They deserve a better tomorrow after all they have been through over the past few decades.

Copyright: Arab News A[umlaut] 2003 All rights reserved.

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