Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has stopped in Beirut on his return from Moscow to Damascus. Security sources told Arabstoday that Muallem met Lebanese officials in the VIP lounge at Rafic Hariri International Airport. Sources confirmed that Muallem had chosen to travel back to Damascus from Beirut by air, as opposed to the road, due to the recent roadblock protests in Lebanon. They added that the ease of travel and lack of traffic at Damascus International Airport was also a factor in his decision.