By Xinhua
Beirut : Lebanese media reports on Friday highlighted Syria’s move to invite Lebanon to attend an Arab summit set for March 29-30 in Damascus.
Syria formally invited Lebanon to the Arab gathering in late March with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmad Arnous submitting the invitation to Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh on Thursday.
But Lebanon’s majority bloc is reportedly angry about Syria’s attitude in handing over the invitation to Salloukh instead of Prime Minister Fouad Seniora.
“The Syrians took advantage of the absence of Prime Minister Seniora who is attending an Islamic summit in Dakar, Senegal,” local al-Balad daily quoted government sources as saying.
The sources added that the step “does not represent good intentions by Syria.”
Seniora is attending the 11th Summit of Organization of the Islamic Conference in Dakar, Senegal. Salloukh told reporters that he would hand over the invitation to the prime minister once he returns from his trip.
Salloukh is one of the six opposition ministers who resigned from Seniora’s cabinet in November 2006, but their resignation was not accepted by Seniora, and some of the resigned ministers are still fulfilling part of their official duties.
Meanwhile, local daily An Nahar reported that Lebanon could turn down Syria’s invitation as Arnous’ visit was “apparently timed to avoid contact with” Seniora.
The daily said the “ambiguous invitation” will likely reinforce the government’s inclination to boycott the summit.
Arnous, the first Syrian official to visit Lebanon in 18 months, did not speak to reporters in Beirut.
But the Naharnet news website quoted a statement released by Syria’s Foreign Ministry in Damascus as saying that “because of the constitutional vacuum in the presidential post in Lebanon, Syria will welcome whoever Lebanon chooses to represent it in the summit.”
It was not clear whether Seniora would attend the summit.
Seniora and Lebanese ruling coalition have accused Syria of involving the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri in February 2005.
Damascus denied the charges, but was forced to withdraw its forces from Lebanon following the assassination, ending decades-long military presence there.
Syria is also accused of obstructing the presidential elections in Lebanon through its opposition allies.
Some Arab countries are urging Syria to help solve the political impasse in Lebanon and conditioning their attendance with the presence of Lebanon.
Lebanon’s presidential seat has been vacant since former President Emile Lahoud ended his term on Nov. 24, 2007 and the sharply divided Lebanese parliament has delayed the elections for 16 times without a consensus.