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Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLD532098
Lebanon, Syria Agree to Open Diplomatic Relations
[Reuters] Khaled Yacoub Oweis - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman agreed on Wednesday to establish diplomatic relations between their countries at the ambassadorial level, Buthaina Shaaban, an adviser to Assad, said. The two countries announced last month in Paris that they intended to open diplomatic relations for the first time since they gained independence in 1943. Wednesday's agreement formally set those ties. In Washington, Secretary of State Rice said, "We have long stood for the normalization of relations between Syria and Lebanon on the basis of equality and respect for Lebanese sovereignty."