Annan urges Syria to accept Lebanon's outstretched hand

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged Syria to accept the outstretched hand of a united Lebanon and move quickly to determine the border between the two countries and establish an embassy in Beirut to help promote Lebanon’s sovereignty and political independence.

Lebanon’s journey into a new era of its history following last year’s departure of Syrian troops is still fragile, but the country has made “further significant progress” in the last six months, Annan said in a New York report yesterday.