Hariri planning second trip to Damascus

BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 11 (UPI) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced plans to make a second trip to Damascus this month to strengthen bilateral relations.

Hariri during Cabinet deliberations said it was necessary reconsider the Lebanese-Syrian relationship and suggest improvements where needed, Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper reports Thursday.

Information Minister Tariq Mitri said Hariri would head to Damascus after wrapping up an official state visit to Germany later this week.

Hariri described a December meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad as a sign that "new horizons" were emerging in bilateral ties.

That trip was Hariri's first since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the current prime minister's father. The prime minister, along with several Lebanese lawmakers and many in the international community, believes Syria played a role in the assassination.

Syria, however, has moved recently to reach out to the international community.

Syrian and Lebanese relations improved when the countries exchanged ambassadors in 2009. Washington followed suit with Damascus this year.