Presidents Hafez Al-Assad and Richard Nixon have announced their decision to restore diplomatic relations between their respective countries, effective immediately. President Nixon addressed journalists in a speech following his three-and-a-half-hour meeting with President Assad, which included the presence of Messrs. Abdel Halim Khaddam and Henry Kissinger. He stated that ambassadors would be appointed to both Washington and Damascus within the next two weeks. Additionally, President Nixon affirmed his country’s commitment to Security Council resolution 338, aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
After a two-day visit to the Syrian Arab Republic, President Nixon departed Damascus accompanied by his wife and delegation. President Al-Assad, along with Mr. Mahmoud Al-Ayyubi, the Prime Minister, Mr. Abdel Halim Khaddam, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mohammed Haidar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, and other dignitaries, bid farewell to the American president at the airport. Ministers and the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Damascus were also present.
At 2 p.m., President Al-Assad and his wife escorted President Nixon and his wife from the guest house in an official procession to Damascus International Airport. The procession reached the airport at 2:50 p.m. As a salute, the artillery fired 21 rounds, and President Nixon and President Assad proceeded to the stage where the American and Syrian national anthems were played. Honor guards paid tribute during the ceremony. After the farewell proceedings, President Nixon shook hands with his top officials, followed by embracing Presidents Hafez Al-Assad and Richard Nixon. The two presidents then boarded the plane, which departed promptly at three o’clock.
