Results of summit between Assad and Abdullah will take time
Beirut (AsiaNews) - A unity government for Lebanon, respect for the independence and sovereignty of Iraq, support for the Palestinian cause, resumption of bilateral political and economic ties. These are the official conclusions of the two day "historic" visit of Saudi King Abdullah to Damascus, according to the national press agencies, the Syrian SANA and Saudi SPA.
As for concrete results of the summit, the impression is that only time will tell. Agreement, it seems, was not reached on all questions, above the crucial issues of the peace process with Israel and the Iran’s nuclear ambitions. One difference ahs been highlighted by the official versions on the meeting with regard to Lebanon. SPA reports that the two leaders emphasized the importance of achieving unity and stability in the land of the cedars through “consensus-building among the brothers of Lebanon and accelerating the formation of a government of national unity". For SANA, however, Abdullah and Assad stressed "the importance of arriving at consensus among the Lebanese and to find points of agreement through the formation of a government of national unity as the foundation stone of stability, unity and strength."
The evidently different emphasis that the two parties place on the "unity government" - for the Syrians, but not for the Saudis, the means to create national consensus - seems to indicate a lack of unity of vision on what was considered one of the targets achieved in the encounter between those who are the sponsors, respectively, of the majority and opposition in Lebanon. "The discrepancy between the two texts - writes An Nahar in this regard - makes Lebanese leaders cautious over the outcome of the summit. Most of them refuse to draw any conclusions". The same paper adds that "informed sources of the majority" claim that the meeting was "productive and non-empty", while the opposition defines it a "very positive" meeting.
For its part, Al Manar, the Hezbollah controlled television, reported a fatal claim made by the Saudi information minister, Abdul-Aziz Khoja, for whom during the meeting the issue of Lebanon "was not examined in detail” and expressed the hope that the summit could have a positive impact for the country.
"The long-awaited visit of King Abdullah to Damascus - comments L'Orient-Le Jour - was held and the Lebanese Government has not yet seen the light”. The newspaper calls the attention given to Lebanon "a bit thin” and contained in a single sentence. It is clear, it adds that "the two countries are in favour of a government of national unity, namely the participation of minorities", but "will this result in the rapid formation of a government? Contrary to what may be believed, the positive response is not obvious”.
Apart from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria have agreed on the need to increase economic exchanges, currently estimated at just two billion dollars a year. Syrian Minister for Finance Mohammad al-Hussein, claimed that it "will begin to increase in the coming days."
As for the issues not mentioned in the final communiqués, they are linked what the Saudi Asharq Alawsat, defines as the "expectations" that stem from the "historic" visit by Abdullah to Damascus, a "once common and frequent” occurrence. They include Syria’s “expectations” regarding developments in the peace process with Israel, "in which the Saudis are involved" and those of the entire region for the conclusions of the West's negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear issue. "Whatever happens, either positive or negative, it will have a great impact on the region and we must remember that this is part of the Iranian proposal to the West".
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