"... Hariri's visit could be a way of thanking Damascus for its support ..."

In the WSJ, here

"...... Mr. Hariri stressed the visit wasn't personal but made in his capacity as prime minister of Lebanon.

He said the two leaders didn't discuss the tribunal during the trip. But, Mr. Hariri said, "President Assad had agreed the issue now was in the hands of the international community. We all want to learn the truth."

The younger Mr. Hariri took up leadership of his father's political movement, one closely aligned with Saudi Arabia and supported by the U.S. and several Western powers. In June parliamentary elections, he successfully beat back a political challenge from a slate of opposition candidates led by Hezbollah.

Tensions, meanwhile, between Damascus and Mr. Hariri, and his Saudi and Western backers, have been easing for more than a year......

U.S. President Barack Obama made outreach to Damascus a key pillar of his campaign. Earlier this year, Washington said it would ease some economic restrictions—without lifting any sanctions—and would reinstate an American ambassador to Syria.

As for Mr. Hariri, 39 years old, it was always uncertain how far he would be willing to go personally to try to patch up differences with Mr. Assad, considering the allegation against Syria related to his father's death.

Mr. Hariri's visit could be a way of thanking Damascus for its support of the new government, said Nawaf Kabbara, a political science professor at Balamand University in Beirut. "Syria did its job facilitating the formation of a cabinet in Beirut," Mr. Kabbara said. "It is the government's turn now to thank Syria."

The weekend trip was made easier by warming ties between Mideast rivals Syria and Saudi Arabia, Mr. Hariri's chief regional sponsor. Mr. Assad hosted Saudi King Abdullah recently during a rare state visit."