The two-day visit is the first by a Lebanese head of state since a 2005 Syrian troop pullout from Lebanon in the aftermath of the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.

The summit between Suleiman and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad aims to redefine ties between Beirut and Damascus, which dominated Lebanon for three decades until it withdrew its forces.

The agenda features prickly issues such as a border demarcation, a review of longstanding accords, Lebanese detainees in Syria and the presence of radical pro-Syrian Palestinian groups in Lebanon, diplomatic sources said.

According to a Lebanese official in Beirut, the establishment of diplomatic relations and opening of embassies will top the agenda.

Assad and Suleiman, whose states have not had diplomatic relations since independence more than 60 years ago, agreed to finally set up ties at a meeting last month in France, their former colonial power. -AFP