BEIRUT, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Monday that he insists on the participation of Syria in the 2019 Arab Economic Summit in Lebanon, local media reported.
"I have said during previous Arab parliamentary meetings that I will not accept to hold any Arab meetings without the participation of Syria," Berri was quoted by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper, as saying.
Lebanon needs to coordinate with Syrian authorities on several matters including the return of refugees to their homeland, and the importance of Syrian borders for the exports of Lebanon's goods, said Berri.
The Arab Economic Summit, an event organized by the Arab League, is concerned primarily with developmental issues in the Arab world.
The event will take place in January 2019 in Lebanon.
However, Syria will not be capable of taking part in the summit because the Arab League passed a decree on Nov. 12, 2011 that suspends Syria's membership.
The Arab League said it froze Syria's membership because its government failed to stop violence against civilian protesters back in 2011.
Ibrahim Awad, a political analyst, praised Berri's stance, saying that Lebanon has the right to send invitations to the countries that it wishes to host during the conference.
"Lebanon and Syria have historic ties and there are diplomatic missions of each other in the two countries," he told Xinhua, adding that the relations should be normal even if this contradicts the political stance of some Lebanese officials.
Awad added that the Arab League should facilitate the invitation of Syria to the summit if it really wants to play a positive role in strengthening ties between the member states and promoting their common interests.
However, Mohamed Choucair, head of Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, told Xinhua that Lebanon will not risk its relations with other Arab countries by inviting Syria to the Arab Economic Summit.
"In all cases, Lebanon is only hosting the event and it does not have the right to decide on the invitees," he said.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's three top political powers differ on their stances on relations with Syria.
While Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri are in alliance with Hezbollah, a Shiite political party backed by Syrian government and Iran, Lebanese Prime Minister designate Saad Hariri has been a long-time supporter of the Syrian opposition and has often been outspoken about his desire to see Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, removed from power.
Hariri announced on many occasions that he refuses to hold a dialogue with Syria.
