Lebanon has been at pains to reassert political stability and peace in the country following the devastating Israeli invasion in 2006, with the central government still lacking in clout, a visit by Syrian and Saudi leaders Friday provided the opportunity for support.

Beirut was the scene of unprecedented talks on Friday between King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who issued a joint statement to rival factions in Lebanon calling for calm and emphasising their support of the government.

The high-profile meeting will boost Lebanon’s standing in the region as Syria and Saudi Arabia are two major Middle Eastern regional powers and the normalisation of relations between the two countries is seen as crucial to the ongoing stability of the region and Lebanon.

A statement issued by the Lebanese president’s office said, “The leaders stressed the importance of stability...the commitment (of the Lebanese) not to resort to violence and the need to place the country’s interests above all sectarian interests”.

As Assad left the presidential palace in Beirut he described the summit as “excellent”.

Syria and Saudi Arabia were both instrumental last November in securing the formation of the current unity government in Lebanon, of which Hezbollah is a member.