Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem visits Beirut Monday as a ministerial committee holds it fourth meeting to work out a policy statement for the new cabinet based on a reconciliatory approach to tackle controversial issues.
Muallem is to deliver an invitation from his leader Bashar Assad to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to visit Damascus.

Presidential sources told An-Nahar daily that Suleiman would accept the invitation and embark on a visit to Damascus in no later than 10 days to tackle such major topics as bilateral relations, establishing diplomatic ties and border demarcation.

Meanwhile, the ministerial committee headed by Premier Fouad Saniora is to hold its fourth meeting aimed at working out a blue print for the new cabinet's policy statement after it succeeded in achieving "major progress" in its third session on Saturday.

The committee's meeting on Monday would tackle the most sensitive issue that has split the Lebanese, which is the "resistance" and try to work out some sort of a joint interim approach to tackle the issue, pending a final stand on it during national dialogue that would be launched by Suleiman at a later date.

The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat said the committee tackled on Saturday the sensitive topic of Palestinian bases outside refugee camps and reached tentative agreement on it based on commitment by all factions to implement a pledge to eliminate such structures.

As for the resistance issue, it said Saniora is preparing a clause that deals with the topic in line with the Taif and Doha Accords as well as President Suleiman's oath address.