Damascus - Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh arrived in Damascus on Wednesday to formally initiate diplomatic ties with Syria for the first time since independence 60 years ago.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem and Salloukh announced in a joint statement "the launch of diplomatic relations between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Lebanese republic effective today, October 15, 2008."

The two ministers signed the joint statement in which they stressed their aim of "boosting relations between both their countries on basis of mutual respect."

The visit comes a day after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued an order cementing diplomatic ties and announcing plans to set up an embassy in Beirut and exchange ambassadors.

The embassies are to be opened by the end of this year at the latest.

Following the 2005 car-bomb assassination of Lebanon's former premier Rafik Hariri, Damascus was forced under US-led international pressure to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, ending nearly three decades of control of Lebanon.

The US has been cautious about the start-up of diplomatic ties.

On Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the two neighbouring countries still must define their final borders. He also cautioned that "behavior beyond just setting up these embassies and establishing diplomatic relations also matters." (dpa)