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French FM: Syria, Lebanon To Exchange Ambassadors By Year's End
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said at an August 25 press conference in Damascus that Lebanon and Syria would exchange ambassadors by the end of this year, and stated, "A new age has begun in Syria-France relations."
He added that during his meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, many subjects had come up that still bothered him, including the explosive situation in Tripoli, Hizbullah, the recent threats between Lebanon and Israel, and Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah's latest speech.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Mu'alem said at the press conference that Kouchner and Assad had discussed preparations for French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit early next month, and ways to achieve security and stability in the Middle East and to advance the peace process.
Al-Mu'alem said that the indirect Syria-Israel peace talks had not advanced sufficiently to become direct, and that the sides were continuing to deal with resolving the issues for discussion, headed by defining the June 4, 1967 line.
Sources: Al-Safir, Lebanon; Al-Watan, Syria; Al-Thawra, Syria, August 26, 2008
Posted at: 2008-08-26
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