Lebanon's Druze leader visits Syria for talks with al-Sharaa
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Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt becomes the first Lebanese official to meet with Ahmad al-Sharaa following the collapse of the Assad regime.
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Walid Jumblatt and his son and current party head Taymur Jumblatt meet with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir during a visit to Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa assured Lebanese Druze leaders on Sunday that his country would refrain from any harmful interference in Lebanon and would respect its sovereignty.
The former head of the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Jumblatt, met with al-Sharaa in Damascus on Sunday, leading a political and religious delegation formed of Sheikh Aql of the Druze sect Sami Abi al-Muna, current PSP leader and MP Taymour Joumblatt, along with the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc and several Druze sheikhs.
This marks the first official visit between the new Syrian authority and Lebanese politicians and public figures since the collapse of the Assad regime.
During the visit, al-Sharaa told Jumblatt that Syria would no longer engage in "negative interference" in Lebanon, emphasizing its respect for Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial unity, independent decision-making, and security stability.
Syria "will stay at equal distance from all" in Lebanon, according to al-Sharaa, who acknowledged the worries relayed by the Lebanese officials regarding the situation in the country.
For his part, Joumblatt said both Syria and Lebanon currently face the dangers of Israeli expansionism, adding that he would submit a memorandum on behalf of the Democratic Gathering regarding Lebanese-Syrian relations.
It is worth noting that the Joumblatt family has had strained relations with the Assad dynasty, with the former accusing Hafez al-Assad of assassinating Kamal Joublatt in 1977 after the entry of the Syrian Army to Lebanon during the civil war. However, he has also had good relations with both Hafez and his son Bashar, with the relationship seeing ups and downs following the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon in 2005.
Extending the new regime a token of amity, Walid Jumblatt presented al-Sharaa with a book written by Sunni-convert Shakib Erslan, a prominent Muslim intellectual and an avid advocate for Muslim unity.
Lebanon to form delegation to visit Syria over missing citizens
Lebanon has mobilized to establish channels of communication with Syria's new authority, particularly to inquire about missing citizens, presumed to have been arrested during the former regime's reign.
The Lebanese Government Emergency Committee for the Missing and Disappeared announced during its first meeting on Friday that an agreement was reached to form an official delegation to visit Syria in the coming days.
The committee said the delegation will include representatives from the Prime Minister's Office and the ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, National Defense, and Interior and Municipalities, in addition to the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared.
The visit aims to assess the situation and conduct necessary communications and discussions, it indicated.
In a statement, the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared confirmed that "the attendees agreed to transfer all data related to the issue of missing and forcibly disappeared persons held by all entities represented in the committee to the commission, in accordance with its legal authority and mandate."
Last week, the commission said it established an internal crisis unit to handle calls from families, collect information, and verify circulating data. It also announced plans to set up field teams tasked with conducting interviews to investigate the fate of the missing individuals.
