Syrian FM in Lebanon for talks on relations

Syria's foreign minister has arrived for talks with President Michel Suleiman on the strained relations between the two neighboring countries. It is the first official visit to Lebanon by a senior Syrian official in more than three years. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem's Monday visit comes amid growing calls on Syria by Lebanon's Western-backed government, its anti-Syrian parliamentary majority and Arab and foreign countries to establish diplomatic relations and demarcate its border with Lebanon. Al-Moallem is expected to hand Suleiman an invitation from Syrian President Bashar Assad to visit Damascus. Al-Moallem's visit was agreed upon during a meeting in Paris earlier this month between Assad and Suleiman.