Mikati talks to Assad on sidelines of Arab Summit

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the sidelines of the 32nd Arab Summit that was held Friday in Jeddah, Arab sources confirmed.

“Assad and Mikati met for some time before entering the conference hall and the discussions tackled common issues,” the sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Sunday, noting that “the meeting’s atmosphere was cordial and positive and can be capitalized on in the future.”

Lebanese ministerial sources who took part in the Arab Summit meanwhile told al-Jadeed TV that the meeting was not an official one.

“Assad and Mikati met in an ordinary way and they were standing ahead of entering the Arab Summit hall,” the sources said.

“The conversation was limited to general matters, an exchange of greetings and hopes to work on the common issues, without delving into the details of files such as the displaced Syrians,” the sources added.

The meeting is the highest-level one between the two countries since the eruption of the Syrian conflict in 2011.