Syrian President makes landmark Lebanon visit

Visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi King Abdullah yesterday urged Lebanese parties to avoid resorting to violence in the face of mounting political tensions in the country during a landmark visit to Beirut.

"The leaders stressed the importance of stability... the commitment (of the Lebanese) not to resort to violence and the need to place the country's interests above all sectarian interests," said a communique issued by the Lebanese Presidency after a mini-summit between the two leaders and President Michel Sleiman.

The statement also stressed the need to "resort to legal institutions and Lebanon's unity government to resolve any differences".

The Syrian President and Saudi monarch made the hours-long visit to Lebanon in a bid to defuse tensions over reports of an impending indictment against members of the militant party Hizbollah for Mr Hariri's murder.

The communique urged Lebanese parties to "pursue the path of appeasement and dialogue and to boost national unity in the face of outside threats", referring to Israel.

The Saudi and Syrian leaders said they stood in solidarity with Lebanon "in the face of Israel's daily violations of its sovereignty and its attempts to destabilise the country".

Asked about the outcome of the brief talks as he left the presidential palace, the Syrian leader gave a thumbs up and said: "The discussions were excellent."

Mr Assad was visiting Lebanon for the first time since Mr Hariri's assassination soured bilateral ties and forced the pullout of Syrian troops from Lebanon after a 29-year presence.

Damascus has consistently denied accusations it had a hand in the killing. Relations between the two countries have been on the mend since 2008, when diplomatic ties were established for the first time. Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the slain Sunni leader, has also made four trips to Syria in the past eight months.