Lebanon, Syria plan embassies

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Saturday that Syria and Lebanon will open embassies in each other’s countries for the first time.

Syrian President Bashar Assad’s “will to open diplomatic representation in Lebanon is historic progress,” Sarkozy said after meeting separately with Assad and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.

Assad said last month that establishing diplomatic ties with Lebanon would be possible if a national unity Cabinet were formed in Beirut between the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority and the opposition led by Syrian ally Hezbollah. The unity government was formed Friday after weeks of haggling.

But Assad was more cautious on the opening of embassies, saying Saturday that both countries must “define the steps to take to arrive at this stage.”

Syria and Lebanon have not had full-fledged embassies in each other’s countries since Lebanon became independent in 1943 and Syria in 1945. Syria dominated Lebanon for almost three decades until 2005, keeping tens of thousands of troops stationed in its smaller neighbor.