BEIRUT, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri ended on Sunday a landmark visit to Damascus, pledging with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to open new prospects on bilateral relations.
The 39-year-old prime minister's visit to Syria ends nearly five years of bitterness with Damascus. Relations between Hariri and Syria have been edgy since Feb. 14, 2005, when Hariri's father Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister was assassinated in Beirut. Syria is suspected of being involved in the killing.
Hariri's meeting with Assad is seen as an opportunity to change the course of relations between the two neighboring countries. It is also seen as a significant sign of rapprochement between Syria and Saudi Arabia, both of them have been exerting major political influence in Lebanon.
uh oh. read more @ chinaview2. 12/20: Mubarak meets with Iranian parliament speaker
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Sunday with Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani in the first high-level talks between both countries since relations were strained after Israel's war on Gaza.
...Relations between Iran and Egypt were highly strained during the war on Gaza at the turn of the year, with Cairo accusing Tehran of trying to dominate the region through its alliances with Hamas and Hizbullah.
read more @ naharnet news
3. 12/21: Egypt's intelligence chief meets top Israeli officials
JERUSALEM: Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman was in Israel yesterday to meet with top officials during a low-profile visit to the Jewish state, an Israeli official said.
Suleiman met Defence Minister Ehud Barak in his Tel Aviv office and was also due to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the head of the Mossad, Israel's foreign spy service, according to the official.
Barak's office said in a statement that the talks focused on "ways to deal with the regional threats and challenges which both countries face," referring mainly to Iran. The two also discussed ways to renew Middle East peace talks.
...The visit comes a day after Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit implicitly confirmed that his country was building an underground barrier with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in a new bid to prevent smuggling through tunnels. [also comes a day after Mubarak met with Larijani - ed.]
read more @ kuwait times
4. Japan favors Iran's role in stabilizing security in East Asia
TEHRAN (FNA)- Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada on Monday highlighted the importance of Iran's position for regional and global developments, urging the country to contribute a role in stabilizing security in East Asia.
read more @ FARS
5. Ex-Brit envoy: Iran poses no threat to Persian Gulf neighbors
TEHRAN (FNA)- Former British Ambassador to Tehran Richard Dalton stressed that the emphasis on Iran's military and political threat to Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states has been exaggerated.
read more @ FARS
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