On the eve of the Tripartite Committee meeting in Riyadh and the scheduled Arab Summit Conference in Baghdad on the 28th of this year, contacts between the Lebanese and Syrian governments have intensified to exchange information and coordinate positions.
Al-Diyar learned that President Elias Hraoui sent his advisor, Lawyer Faris Boyz, to Damascus yesterday. Boyz met with Syrian Vice President Mr. Abdel Halim Khaddam in the presence of Minister Mohsen Dalloul, as well as other Syrian officials. He also received Mr. Khaddam Al-Zeer Marwan Hamadeh and a delegation from the “Islamic Meeting.” These meetings focused on Lebanese and Arab issues, as well as the ongoing preparations for the Arab Summit in Baghdad.
Visitors to Damascus informed Al-Diyar that Syria still insists on refusing to participate in the Arab summit in Baghdad.
Regarding Lebanon, visitors confirmed that President Hrawi’s envoy discussed with Syrian officials how Lebanon can ensure its presence at the summit, even if it does not actively participate. They also explored ways to reach an Arab consensus on supporting Lebanon and the Taif Agreement, while circumventing legitimacy according to the proposed ballot by Saudi King Fahd bin Abdulaziz. Efforts were made to make King Fahd’s proposal the collective stance of all Arab countries, considering that, according to sources, the Lebanese file is not a priority for Arabs compared to the two main topics of solidarity on Iraq and the immigration of Soviet Jews. Sources confirmed that the summit conference was called for the explicit purpose of addressing these two topics. Therefore, Lebanon, through its contacts with Damascus and other concerned Arab countries, seeks to ensure that its concerns are not overlooked during the conference.
The same sources revealed that Algeria and Morocco have expressed their unwillingness to participate in the conference at the presidential level if Syria does not participate with its president. They would settle for a delegation at the foreign minister level but would strive to involve Syria in the conference, even if not at the presidential level. However, as of now, Damascus has not made a decision to agree to participate in the summit either with the president or at any other level, according to the sources.
