DAMASCUS, Oct 14: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree on Tuesday to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon for the first time since the two Arab neighbours won independence from France in the 1940s.

The decree, which formalises decisions taken jointly with Lebanon, encouraged by France over the last few months, instructs the Syrian foreign ministry to establish an embassy in Beirut, without specifying a date.

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said he would visit Damascus on Wednesday to discuss the mechanism for establishing ties with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moualem.

—Reuters