Ambassador to Syria is chosen

Lebanon chose its first ambassador to Syria, the latest step toward normalizing relations since the neighboring countries agreed this year to establish diplomatic ties.

Information Minister Tarek Mitri made the announcement after the Cabinet approved the nominee. He told reporters the government would not disclose the ambassador’s name until Syria had approved the choice.

Lebanese TV stations, however, reported that the position will go to Michel Khoury, Lebanon’s ambassador to Cyprus.

Relations between the long-feuding neighbors, which both gained independence from France in the 1940s, reached a turning point in October when they agreed to establish ties and demarcate their contentious border.