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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Syria decrees embassy in Beirut | Syria decrees embassy in Beirut |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has issued a decree to set up diplomatic ties with Lebanon and open an embassy. | Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has issued a decree to set up diplomatic ties with Lebanon and open an embassy. |
| Anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon and their Western backers have long called on Syria to recognise its sovereignty by establishing official ties. | Anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon and their Western backers have long called on Syria to recognise its sovereignty by establishing official ties. |
| The presidential decree did not say when the embassy would open in Beirut or give any further details. | The presidential decree did not say when the embassy would open in Beirut or give any further details. |
| Syrian troops left Lebanon in 2005 ending decades military and political domination by the giant neighbour. | Syrian troops left Lebanon in 2005 ending decades military and political domination by the giant neighbour. |
| The decree announced "the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Lebanese Republic and the creation of a diplomatic mission at ambassador level in the Lebanese capital Beirut," Syria's official news agency reported. | |
| Lebanese officials said Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh would visit Damascus on Wednesday and the timing of the next moves would be announced later. |