Syrian President confers with Lebanese Premier

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad received Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Wednesday at the Damascus al-Rawda palace. Talks dealt with matters relating to developments in the region, contacts made with Arab and foreign sides and matters of concern to Syria and Lebanon.

Hariri's visit to Damascus follows stops in Paris and Cairo, as well as two visits to Riyadh.

Lebanese official sources said that the Lebanese prime minister previously held consultations with Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam on the outcome of Hariri meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, French President Jacques Chirac, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdul, and Iranian President Mohammed Khatami.

The consultations have concentrated on the efforts of the two countries to control the negative effects of the halted peace process and target resuming the peace process on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks.