Border Demarcation is Imminent between Lebanon, Syria
The issue of border demarcation between Lebanon and Syria has been activated again after the last visit of President Michel Suleiman to Damascus, as the meetings of the Lebanese-Syrian joint committee are about to start soon.
A diplomatic source told the Central News Agency that the committee is expected to convene next month, for the first time in more than 3 decades as the last meeting dates back to the year 1975, and that is in accordance with the resolutions of the first summit that gathered presidents Suleiman and al-Assad on August 2008.
The date of the committee”s first meeting is expected to be set in light of PM Saad Hariri”s anticipated visit to Syria, according to the same source.
The source added that the committee in its Lebanese side, although ready to start mutual efforts with its Syrian counterpart, but would require some time to complete the collection of all documents needed. Hence, the work of the committee will not be accomplished in a short time and may last for years, according to the diplomatic source.
As for Shebaa Farms issue, the committee would not tackle it, at least in the meantime, for political considerations beyond its scope of work. The same source reminded of the statements of a number of Syrian officials, including FM Walid Mualem, that the demarcation teams cannot work in Shebaa Farms area under shadow of Israeli occupation.
"There is a dispute over a number of sites along the mutual borders with Syria in Beqaa, North, and South. The two sides have to compare the documents they have in order to define the identity of those lands, and each side has to present documents –such as old maps, contracts, and others — dating back to the Ottoman rule or French mandate, knowing that some documents exist abroad and may require some time to be retrieved," added the diplomatic source.