Lebanon cleric calls for diplomatic ties with Syria

BEIRUT, Lebanon (Reuters) -- Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir called on Monday for the establishment of diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria to guard against what he described as Damascus's hegemony over his country.

"It is time to clarify the relationship and to establish frank diplomatic relations, like between all sovereign countries with independence and free decision," Sfeir, Lebanon's highest Christian religious leader, told a religious conference.

Lebanon and Syria have never established diplomatic relations between each other since independence in the 1940s. Their relationship has been officially portrayed as too friendly to warrant such representation.

Syria has 35,000 troops in Lebanon and is a dominant decision-maker in Lebanon's sectarian politics. Sfeir has been at the forefront of rising calls for Syria to pull out its troops and reduce its interference in Lebanese politics.

"The current Syrian hegemony is causing Lebanon to fade away little by little from the international arena. (Lebanon) has no decision, no sovereignty and no independence," Sfeir said.

Public calls for Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon have mainly come from Christians but Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a Syrian ally, added his voice to Christian demands last week.

Jumblatt's initiative caused a pro-Syrian deputy to accuse him of being an Israeli agent in a move interpreted by Lebanese newspapers as a veiled threat of assassination.

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