Caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in Baabda. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra / File photo)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Tuesday told his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, that he is welcome in Beirut "whenever he wants," Lebanese news agency al-Markaziya reported.
The comment comes two days before the Arab Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to which Syria is invited for the first time since 2011.
After a meeting of the League's foreign ministers in Jeddah, Bou Habib said he informed Mekdad about his "willingness to visit Damascus at any time and that [Mekdad] is welcomed in Beirut whenever he wants."
Mekdad reassured Bou Habib about the potential return of Syrian refugees to Syria. According to al-Markaziya, he affirmed that "Syria welcomes all of its citizens ... Whether Western countries encourage their return or not, they are welcomed in their own country."
Regarding conditions of return, Mekdad said: "Whoever imposes conditions on us must keep these ideas to themselves. We have not and we will not beg."
Earlier this month, the Arab League agreed to fully reinstate Syria's membership after a 12-year suspension over the Syrian government's crackdown on protesters.
President Bashar al-Assad is set to attend the summit on Friday, where he will likely rub shoulders with Arab presidents and kings who opposed him for years.
According to Reuters, Bou Habib said he spoke to Mekdad about the return of Syrian refugees and curbing drug smuggling in the region— two issues that have been key to Arab countries' recent negotiations with Syria.