Lebanon aims to complete steps towards establishing diplomatic ties with Syria within weeks, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was quoted as saying on Sunday. Syria and Lebanon agreed on Wednesday to open diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level in a step welcomed by the United States, which had long called on Damascus to formalise ties with Beirut. "We will work on accomplishing it within the coming weeks," Siniora told the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman instructed their foreign ministers to begin steps towards exchanging ambassadors during a summit in Damascus last week, Reuters reported.
