Jumblatt hails Hariri's trip to Damascus

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Normalizing ties with the government of Syria is in the best interest of both countries, said Lebanese political leader Walid Jumblatt.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri paid a historic visit to Damascus during the weekend in a sign of thawing relations between the two neighbors.

Syria was implicated in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the current premier's father. Syrian influence loomed large in Lebanese political affairs, though international pressure on Damascus diminished some of its heavy-handedness.

Damascus, for its part, has moved to restore its international image and both countries exchanged ambassadors earlier this year.

Jumblatt, a co-founder of the anti-Syrian March 14 alliance, called the Hariri visit to Damascus a major accomplishment in regional diplomacy, Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper reports.

"It is in the best interests of Lebanon and that of normalizing ties between both countries to re-establish special ties with Syria since Lebanon security is that of Syria and vice versa," he said.

Jumblatt, leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, caused a stir in August when he defected from the March 14 alliance as Hariri struggled to form a national unity government.

He has since taken a more centrist tone, moving closer to lawmakers with Hezbollah, one of Syria's closest regional allies.