MP Walid Jumblatt says he has visited Damascus and met with Syrian President deputy’s assistant

The head of National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt said on Monday that he has held talks with the assistant of Syrian President Bashar Assad's deputy, Major General Mohammed Nasif, in Damascus last week.

In an interview with Lebanese daily As-Safir, Jumblatt said that he discussed with Nasif the situation in Lebanon and the Arab world.

He noted, however, that they didn't discuss the government formation process in detail.

Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem expressed hope that Lebanese-Syrian ties would be similar to relations between Damascus and Ankara.

Last week, Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, praised booming ties with one-time foe Syria, saying that a joint dam project at the border between the two neighbors would further strengthen cooperation. Turkey and Syria also plan to set up a joint bank, inaugurate a high-speed train between Aleppo and the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep and link their natural gas networks as part of other projects by the end of 2011, Erdogan said.

In remarks to the German DPA news agency, Moallem said that the West proved that it has no permanent friend. "That's why, the leaders of regional countries should befriend their peoples," the Syrian FM said. "That's the best choice."