Beirut - Lebanon's opposition parliament speaker Nabih Berri arrived in Syria for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a move aimed at mending relations with the neighbouring country, his spokesman Ali Hamdan said Monday.

"The speaker will meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and try to help resolve the crisis engulfing the two countries," Hamdan said.

The visit came after Berri said two weeks ago he would reach out to Arab states such as Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, before launching a dialogue between Lebanon's rival leaders.

Hamdan said Berri started his tour in Syria as it is currently the president of the Arab League.

Berri has proposed to gather Lebanon's rival political leaders for talks before April 22 when parliament is due to elect a president.

Lebanon's political deadlock has left it without a head of state since the term of pro-Syrian Lebanese president Emile Lahoud ended on November 23, 2007.

Parliamentary sessions have been postponed 17 times after the ruling coalition, backed by the West and most Arab states, and the Hezbollah-led opposition, supported by Syria and Iran, failed to settle their differences and elect a president. (dpa)