Trip to Beirut 'natural,' Assad says

DAMASCUS, Syria, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Syrian President Bashar Assad said it was "natural" for him to plan a trip to meet with Lebanese leaders in Beirut when the time was right.

Assad met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Damascus, reaching a series of agreements with Ankara as diplomatic relations between the two neighbors improve.

Erdogan arrived in the wake of a historic trip to Damascus by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Hariri met with top officials in the Damascus government during the weekend, marking his first visit to Syria since the 2005 assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Damascus was blamed for playing a role in the assassination. The Hariri visit was met with widespread approval from Lebanese lawmakers, who hailed the visit as a diplomatic victory.

Ties between Syria and Lebanon were strained by the heavy role Damascus played in Lebanese affairs. International pressure in the wake of the Hariri assassination prompted Damascus to back off, however, and both countries exchanged ambassadors earlier this year.

Assad during comments with the Turkish prime minister said it should not be a surprise that he is planning his own trip to Beirut, Dubai's English-language newspaper Gulf News reports.

"It is natural that I visit Lebanon but at the right time," he said.