New chapter in Lebanon-Syria relationship

Syria and Lebanon have officially opened a new chapter in their relations following years of animosity and mistrust. Relations between the two countries were strained in 2005 after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. A UN probe committee and the Hariri family accused the Syrian security apparatus of involvement in the murder, although Damascus repeatedly denied the accusation.

Syria was also the power broker in Lebanon ever since the end of the civil war in 1990. Its troops were forced to leave Lebanon in April 2005, shortly after the Hariri killing. For the next four years, ties between the two countries were reduced to media war and judicial wrangling.

Therefore, the visit by the new Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri to Damascus on Saturday is not only historic, but also a much-needed boost to the reconciliation efforts underway in the Arab world that aim to overcome the political polarisation, which paralysed the region's ability to counter the critical challenges posed by traditional foes, like Israel and, to a lesser degree, Iran.

Lebanon obviously needs Syria's support to achieve stability and prosperity. There are too strong ties, economic, social and geographic, between the two states to ignore. Syria needs Lebanon too. Lebanon, as a buffer between Israel and Syria, is considered the latter's strategic security sphere. This is way the Syrians have always sought to have a friendly government in Lebanon. However, significant mistakes were made by both states over the past few years, affecting their relations and fuelling regional tensions.

Hariri's visit to Syria, despite the painful loss of his father, and the warmth shown to him by his host, President Bashar Al Assad, despite the accusations levelled on his country by the Lebanese, shows that what brings the two nations together is much more important than what divides them. It is the case, in fact, with all Arab countries.