President Michel Suleiman will make his first visit to Damascus next week for talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad. The two neighbors would discuss establishing diplomatic ties, an official said on Tuesday. “The summit will be held on August 13,” an official from Baabda Palace told AFP. Relations have been tense since Syria pulled out its troops from Lebanon in 2005 in the aftermath of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafik Hariri, ending a three-decade military presence
If Sleiman manages to have his voice heard over the border issue and the problem of the Lebanese kept to rot in Syrian jails, the trip will not be useless. On the other hand, let's not forget that Sleiman made a career under the Syrian occupation. They would not have appointed him head of the army, had he challenged them in any way.
Furthermore, he was elected as a so-called compromise President, but now that he is in the position of actually doing some good, he should go ahead with or without the green light from all parties/sects etc. If Sleiman waits for Lebanese political leadership as a whole to support everything he does, he will end up doing nothing.
Sleiman can change the situation for the better. Is he willing and capable of doing that?Depends. The general should understand that his main objective is to protect the interests of the Lebanese full stop. However, if he goes to Syria with the mentality of an employee and not that of a leader the visit is a waste of time.
